


Gilded Green

by Caelum_Blue



Series: Gilded Green [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Brainwashing, Creepy, Gen, Worldbuilding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-09
Updated: 2012-06-09
Packaged: 2017-11-07 09:15:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 51,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/429368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caelum_Blue/pseuds/Caelum_Blue
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Reposted from FFN.</p><p>At the end of Iroh's Siege, the Dai Li decide to test their brainwashing abilities on a Fire Nation soldier. They don't know that their guinea pig-rat happens to be a supposedly-dead prince. First in a series. AU, DaiLi!LuTen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: The Strategy of Victory

**Author's Note:**

> Reposting from fanfiction.net, since I'm kinda wary of all the changes they're making there...
> 
> \---
> 
> Before anything else, I'd like to say that this story would never have been written if not for the help of my friend and beta, Stingrae. She's been devotedly helping me write this thing since the very beginning - and since the very beginning was over two years ago, that's a lot of devotion. Without her patience, suggestions, and amazing capability of listening to my nonsensical rambles, I never would have managed to actually WRITE, and this story would have died a quiet death in some dark corner of my brain years ago.
> 
> So thanks, Stingrae. For everything.
> 
> Things you ought to know about this story:
> 
> It's rated T for nasty details involving warfare, death, and brainwashing. Especially the brainwashing. Later chapters may be given a higher rating. It's not a gorefest, though; it's just disturbing. It's hard to make brainwashing not be disturbing, after all.
> 
> It features a rather large cast of original characters. This is necessary due to the fact that it focuses on the Dai Li, and seeing as the only Dai Li who ever got a name, personality, and backstory was Long Feng, I had to create the other members of the organization from scratch and screenshots. If you like well-developed, shades-of-gray OCs, this is the place for you. If you aren't an OC type of person, you might want to turn back now. If you don't know how you feel about OCs, I highly suggest that you give the good ones a try. You might just like them. After all, I did.
> 
> And that's all I have to say for now. Hope you enjoy the story!

**Prologue - The Strategy of Victory**

It was a beautiful spring night in Ba Sing Se. The air was cool, still recovering from winter's chill, and the breeze carried a faint smell of lilacs from the Upper and Middle Rings. The near-full moon cast her gentle glow over the city, lighting the way for the green-robed figure hurrying down the streets of the Lower Ring.

Agent Enlai Tong moved swiftly through the slums, staying close to the walls so he didn't draw attention from the few civilians on the streets. If anyone did see him, though, they'd assume he was just another Dai Li agent on patrol.

They wouldn't be mistaken, either. He _was_ Dai Li, and he _was_ patrolling.

The fact that he was far, _far_ away from his assigned district in the Upper Ring, and getting farther still, complicated things a bit.

Enlai refused to think of the consequences should anyone discover he'd abandoned District 87. It was highly unlikely that anyone _there_ would even realize he'd left. The real danger was running into agents on patrol in the districts he was crossing. If they saw him and realized he wasn't where he was supposed to be...

He'd really rather that not happen, to say the least.

Enlai wasn't just abandoning his district on a whim, however. He had a meeting to get to - a meeting that hopefully wouldn't be completely worthless. With any luck, he'd be back in the Upper Ring by daybreak, hopefully with something to show for his trouble.

His heartbeat quickened as he turned down another street and saw, way down at the other end, the wall that separated the Lower Ring and the Agrarian Zone. Enlai stared up at the wall, but the stone reached so high and the night was so dark - even with the moonlight - that he couldn't see the soldiers he knew were patrolling on the top.

He decided that meant they wouldn't be able to see him, either.

He picked up his pace, hurrying the last few blocks to the wall, and soon found himself standing at its base. He ran rock-clad hands over the stone, getting a feel for it. He took longer than he needed to, hands shaking slightly. "Highly illegal" was an understatement for what he was about to do.

Taking one last look around to be sure no one was watching him - and another glance upward, just in case - he stepped back and made a punching motion at the stone. A small tunnel formed, just big enough to walk through, and Enlai stepped in, sealing the entrance behind him.

The first thing he thought was that he should have brought some sort of light, because while the world was dim in the moonlight, it was utterly dark without it. But this was his element Enlai was encased in, and so he felt nothing more than mere annoyance as he continued down the tunnel, bending more stone out of the way as he needed and trying not to think about how many city laws he was violating. It took some minutes before he finally came to the last few feet of rock between him and the Agrarian Zone, and he effortlessly bent it away and stepped out into the night.

Before him were vast cornfields, filled with small, young green plants springing out of the dirt. The Outer Wall was far enough away that he couldn't see it in the darkness, and that was perfectly fine with him. He didn't want to see the gap where the Fire Nation had broken through.

"Precise as ever, I see," a voice greeted him, and Enlai suppressed a start before carefully turning around to face his contact. The man was leaning against the wall, just a few feet from the hole Enlai had put in it. He wore a long black cloak, and Enlai could _just_ make out the armor underneath. Though it was impossible to tell with the lack of light, he knew it was red.

"Hello to you too, Lee," Enlai answered.

The Fire Nation soldier smiled, but it wasn't very pleasant. Enlai decided he wanted to get this over with as quickly as he could.

"You said you have information the Earth Kingdom needs," he prompted.

"So quick to get to the point," Lee observed. "I thought you Earthbenders waited and watched. Fire does the outright attacking."

Enlai inwardly scowled at the jab. Still, he was an agent of the Dai Li. Two could play at this game. "Of course," he said. "Which is why you make for _such_ good spies."

The other man glared at him. "Watch it, mud slug."

Enlai restrained a smug smile, but made no additional jabs at Lee's espionage skills. No use antagonizing his contact further. "Come on, Lee. Let's get down to business."

"I swear, Shu, you're the oddest Earthbender I've ever met," Lee muttered, rummaging for something hidden in his cloak.

"How so?" Enlai asked, glad that the alias he'd given Lee all those weeks ago still worked. No way would he have told his real name to a man who'd managed to sneak into the Middle Ring unnoticed.

He was pretty sure Lee's name was fake, too.

"You're like fire _and_ earth," Lee answered. Enlai stiffened slightly, wondering if he should take that as an insult, but Lee merely added, "Weird combination." He pulled a packet of paper out of his cloak. Enlai eyed it warily. "This," the soldier said, waving the packet, "contains some important battle plans I took the liberty of copying while General Iroh was out of his tent. It's very specific; nice and detailed." He looked down at the papers in his hands, regarding them in a thoughtful manner.

"How much?" Enlai asked, grateful for the gold pieces he'd thought to put in one of his robe pockets.

"Oh, you're going to pay me? I was thinking this could just be a thank you for not turning me in when we first met..."

"Right. Because you're _so_ grateful."

"Well, considering how many of our spies go into your blasted city and are never heard from again...yes, I think I _am_ grateful."

 _Nice of you to warn us about the Fire Nation's imminent break through the Outer Wall, then_ , Enlai thought sarcastically, but he didn't say anything. Lee was a _double_ agent, and those sorts of people only ever looked out for themselves. "How much?" he repeated.

"Wasn't kidding, kid," Lee smiled, and Enlai had to keep himself from scoffing at being addressed as such. He was twenty-four, for Hu-Tu's sake! "This is absolutely free."

After five hundred ninety-five days of besiegement, the prospect of free information from a Fire Nation spy was _far_ too good to be true, no matter what Enlai had done for him. "Free," the Dai Li agent repeated dubiously, clenching and unclenching his fists to feel the reassuring pressure of his rock gloves.

"Free," Lee repeated. "On one condition."

Of course. There had to be _something_. Whether or not it was something Enlai felt like giving was another matter.

He glanced at the tunnel he'd made through the wall. It was only a few feet away, and there was nothing between him and the entrance, should he need to make a speedy escape.

To turn tail and run after all the trouble he'd gone through, though, would be unacceptable.

Enlai dug stone-clad feet into the ground, felt the earth around him. He had his gloves. He had the chains hidden up his sleeves. He had the wall above him, and miles of farmland at his disposal.

The Dai Li agent tilted his head forward ever-so-slightly, allowing his hat to hide his smile. If Lee's price wasn't to his liking, he was more than capable of taking the information by force.

Lifting his head, he focused on the Fire Nation man. "And what condition would that be?"

Lee smiled again. "In this attack," he said, waving the papers, "there will be a main force of invading soldiers, flanked by two more forces to the north and south. The plans are yours for free if you swear to _completely_ wipe out the north flank."

Enlai blinked and stared at the papers, any and all thoughts of attacking the man coming to a sudden and unexpected stop. Cautiously, he asked, "That's it?"

"That's it," Lee nodded. "The entire north flank needs to die. _All_ of them. No survivors. No _chance_ of survivors. You make that happen, these are yours for free." He waved the packet again, enticingly. "Furthermore, you make that happen, and I guarantee you'll deal a _critically_ heavy blow to Fire Nation morale. How's that sound, Shu?"

A week ago, reports had indicated that Fire Nation morale was already teetering on the edge. Camping around a wall for nearly two years knowing it wasn't doing any good could ruin an army's confidence. Since breaking through, however, the Firebenders had gotten quite the morale boost. The sooner their newfound good mood was crushed, the better.

But Enlai knew better than to just take Lee on his word. _Especially_ when the information he offered was practically free. Enlai was Dai Li - he knew just how complicated risky strategies could be. Maybe this was all an elaborate plot to trick the Earth Army into attacking the wrong regiment of Firebenders.

He couldn't exactly _ask_ that, though, so instead he asked, "And exactly _how_ will wiping out a single flank of soldiers discourage morale?"

Lee looked annoyed. "Do I need to explain _everything_ to you?"

"I don't like getting scammed," Enlai said plainly.

"Fine," Lee said. "The leader of that particular flank happens to be someone _very_ important to Prince-General Iroh." He grinned. "Wipe them out, and the Dragon might just decide to call it quits."

 _Or wipe us off the map_ , Enlai thought to himself. He knew better than to think that Lee cared about the fate of Ba Sing Se - the spy would probably say anything if it meant Enlai would agree to his terms. "And why would that be?"

"I take back what I said before," Lee grumbled. "You _are_ stubborn as dirt."

"And you're a double agent. I know how people like you work, Lee."

Lee snorted. "I don't really think of myself as a _double_ agent..."

"You're selling secrets to the enemy," Enlai pointed out.

" _Giving_. Not _selling_. I told you, this is free. Mostly."

"Even worse, then. You're working with the enemy, and you aren't even getting anything out of it."

Lee frowned for a moment, studying the Earthbender. And then he sighed. "Look Shu," he said. "You want to know the truth? I don't work for General Iroh. I answer to Prince Ozai." He paused for a moment to let that sink in. After a moment, he added, "I'm actually glad we ran into each other. It's given me the opportunity to accomplish something extremely important for my boss. I just need your people to wipe out that flank of soldiers."

So Lee _wasn't_ a double agent, then, in a weird, twisted sort of way. He wasn't betraying General Iroh; he was fulfilling orders for another master that ran contrary to what Iroh would want. Enlai didn't know much about Fire Nation politics, but he _did_ know about politics in general - one didn't last long or get far in the Dai Li without understanding at least the basics, after all. He filed the piece of information away in his mind. Maybe one day he'd be able to put the puzzle together, if it ever became important. For now, if General Iroh's brother was willing to sacrifice the Fire Nation's victory for some personal gain, it was good enough for him.

"Fine," Enlai said. "Deal."

Lee held out the packet, and spoke as Enlai reached for it. "Do you swear, upon your honor and your life, to see to it that the north flank is completely obliterated?"

Somewhere in the back of his memory, Enlai remembered that honor was an extremely important concept in the Fire Nation - far more so than it was in the Earth Kingdom. For a citizen of the Fire Nation, swearing on your honor was a serious oath not to be taken lightly.

Enlai could have smiled at Lee's ignorance. Agents of the Dai Li were not known for their honorable natures.

Swearing on his life was a slightly different matter, but agents of the Dai Li were not known for their poor fighting skills, either.

"I do," Enlai nodded, and Lee let go of the papers. Enlai held them close, with the vague realization that the fates of two nations were in his grasp.

"Allow me to congratulate you in advance on your victory," Lee said, making a proper Fire Nation bow. "Nice working with you, Shu," he added as he wrapped his dark cloak tightly about him and turned away from Enlai. He made his way into the cornfields, stepping on the little plants as he went. Enlai watched him for a moment before calling after.

"And if that doesn't happen? If the north flank isn't wiped out?"

Lee stopped and looked over his shoulder. "I'm a spy. I've snuck into this city plenty of times." He may have been from the Fire Nation, but his smile was downright cold. "I think I'd find a way to extract payment. _Enlai_."

Enlai felt a chill run down his spine. Lee merely smiled again, turned, and walked off.

Enlai looked down at the packet in his hands, running his thumbs along the parchment.

This was it. Ba Sing Se's freedom. The Fire Nation's defeat. One more step in building up his reputation among the Dai Li. It was all right here. All he had to do was make sure the Council of Five knew to completely wipe out a single flank of Fire Nation soldiers.

And if they didn't? Well. Enlai was a highly skilled Earthbender and a member of one of the most elite bending organizations in the world. He was pretty sure he could handle a single Fire Nation spy.

Enlai smiled in satisfaction. Tucking the packet into his robes, he reentered the tunnel he'd made in the wall and walked back through, sealing it up behind him as he went. Once he was back on the other side, he headed for the Upper Ring at a brisk pace, intent on getting back to his district, finishing his rounds, and seeing the Grand Secretariat the moment his shift was over.

He had no idea just how many destinies he was helping to carry out.

* * *

Dawn was a crack of light on the horizon, and Long Feng was still awake.

He wasn't exactly conscious, though. Half his mind had shut off, which was quite a pain for the other half, as he needed both of them if he was ever going to finish reading this report.

And the three others he needed to review.

And the stack of papers filled with requests awaiting his approval.

He stared at the writing on the parchment before him, trying to bring the tiny characters into focus. Then he sighed and placed it on his desk. For a moment, he leaned back in his seat and let his eyes close, and then he stood up and started pacing in an effort to wake up.

The third time he passed the fireplace, Long Feng idly bent the chalcanthite crystals out of the hearth, letting the flames resume their natural orange color. Green fire wasn't exactly bright, and the dull lighting didn't do much for his already groggy mental state.

The bright yellows and oranges, on the other hand, didn't do much for his mood. Long Feng scowled into the flames. Over the past five hundred and ninety-five days, he'd really come to _hate_ fire.

He sighed and leaned against the mantle, still trying to wake up and ignoring the voice in the back of his head that was telling him he should _really_ get some sleep. These all-nighters were becoming far too frequent, and he worried they'd become even more so now that the Fire Nation had broken through the Outer Wall.

Great Hu-Tu...the Fire Nation had broken through the Outer Wall. Long Feng hadn't been sure what to think when _that_ report had landed on his desk. He'd first thought - hoped - that General How had suddenly sprouted a sense of humor and it was his horrid idea of a joke. Then it had turned out to be very, very true, and his entire world had come crashing down on him.

He hadn't worried much about the Siege up until five days ago. Ba Sing Se had been besieged many times over the centuries, and every effort ended in failure on the enemy's part. The walls were unbreachable, and the Agrarian Zone provided enough food to support the city. The idea that the city would ever be taken was inconceivable. So, when the Fire Nation had set up camp outside their walls, Long Feng hadn't been terribly nervous. He had let General How and the rest of the Council of Five take care of the city's defense, and for his own part had set about making sure that the citizens were none the wiser.

The first precaution he'd taken was to shut down the Full Moon Bay ferry station. A hard decision to make, but a necessary one. The last thing he'd needed was for the Fire Nation to discover it - or worse, panicking refugees enlightening Ba Sing Se citizens to their predicament. Refugee traffic to the city had dwindled since the Siege had started, anyway.

And so the people of Ba Sing Se had spent nearly the last two years without any idea about what was going on. A good number of them knew about the war, of course, but pretended not to for fear of the Dai Li. That was fine. As long as they didn't spread panic and disorder, or talk about the war's existence, they were nothing to worry about. And even if they _did_ know that the war existed, they certainly did _not_ need to be aware of the fact that the Fire Nation was currently hammering on their walls. All they needed to know was that they were perfectly safe.

Then the Fire Nation broke through the Outer Wall.

The Earth Army was already working on a contingency plan, building two more walls on either side of the gap so as to contain the Firebenders in only a small stretch of the Agrarian Zone, but Long Feng was coming to the conclusion that such actions might be moot. Yes, it had taken an enormous amount of blasting jelly to break through, but if the Fire Nation had stockpiled enough of the stuff once, they could certainly do it again. Before long, they'd probably have the entire Agrarian Zone in their grasp, and after that, it was only a matter of time until the city starved. General Iroh wouldn't even have to fight - he and his troops would only need to merrily squat on their farmland while Ba Sing Se's food supplies dwindled. From there, the city could only descend into panic and disorder. The citizens would do the Fire Army's job for them.

For the millionth time, Long Feng cursed General Sang Shi. Spirits damn that man. It was his fault the Fire Nation had managed to break through the Outer Wall. And then he'd gone and actually _surrendered_. Pathetic. General How still needed to find his replacement, but seeing as he was busy readying the troops for the Fire Nation's inevitable push inward, it looked like the Council of Five would remain the Council of Four for now.

Long Feng wasn't even going to _try_ and pick out a new general. He and How didn't exactly get along. They had an unspoken agreement - Long Feng handled the city's domestic affairs, and How took care of the war problem. There'd be no use in antagonizing him or trying to do his job for him. Besides, How probably knew who the best candidates were anyway.

In the meantime, Long Feng needed to find a way to explain to the Earth King why his Council of Five was now a Council of Four, why Sang Shi had suddenly disappeared, and why throwing random feasts was _not_ going to be a good idea for the time being. It was only a matter of time before the food shortages started. He supposed he could tell Kuei that Sang Shi had decided to retire...and immediately leave the city...without giving any prior notice...

Right.

Well, since Kuei didn't know there was a war on, he had no reason to think that he had to keep up to date on the Council of Five's doings. He hardly met with them as it was. If Long Feng told him that General Sang Shi had retired, he'd probably believe it without too much wondering.

Maybe he should claim that Sang Shi had gone insane, just in case the Earth King questioned it. And if the miserable, cowardly excuse for an Earth Army General _did_ show up again, he'd just have the Dai Li's Reeducation Branch recondition him into oblivion so he could be turned into something that was actually _useful_.

There. Problem solved.

Or, at least, part of it was. The real problem was the Fire Nation, and the effect their imminent victory would have upon the citizens of Ba Sing Se. Once they took the Agrarian Zone and the city started suffering food shortages, the citizens would know something was wrong. The Grand Secretariat could envision it with terrifying clarity - the fear, the panic, the riots, the utter _chaos_. It was only a matter of time before those visions became reality.

_No._

Long Feng stopped pacing and stood in front of the fireplace, staring into the flames. No. It wasn't going to end this way. He wouldn't let it. He hadn't come all the way from the Lower Ring and worked his way through the University and the Dai Li and Upper Ring politics and become Grand Secretariat just to watch his city fall apart and burn.

There was a way out of this. There always was.

The office door opened. "Grand Secretariat?"

He turned from the fireplace to see his visitor approaching his desk. He didn't recognize the agent, and he didn't remember having any appointments.

"I'm Agent Enlai, from the Surveillance Branch," the newcomer said, drawing a packet from his robes, and Long Feng stifled a groan. More paperwork. Fantastic.

"Put it on my desk," he ordered, turning back to the fire. "I'll review it after I've gotten some sleep."

"Sir, if I may be so bold, this is extremely important - "

" _Everything_ is extremely important," Long Feng snorted. "I'm sure that whatever it is that needs my signature can wait."

"With all due respect, sir, this is not any sort of legal paperwork," the agent insisted. "It could very well be the salvation of this city."

 _That_ got his attention. Slowly, Long Feng turned around to face his visitor. The young man looked to be in his mid-twenties, with the broad facial features that were common in the Earth Kingdom and the long braid that was standard among the Dai Li. He looked like just another agent. But there was something about his expression that piqued Long Feng's interest, almost as much as his words had.

His eyes were unflinching. There was no spark in them - just a single-minded, resolute, stone-cold determination.

Long Feng knew that look. He'd worn it himself, long ago.

"And how," he asked, "could these papers possibly save Ba Sing Se?"

The agent dropped the packet on his desk. It landed with a heavy _thud_. "I received these from a contact in the Fire Army," he said. "They're detailed battle plans for the upcoming invasion of the Agrarian Zone."

Long Feng felt his eyes widen, and his hand reached out to touch the parchment. "What did you say your name was, Agent?"

"Enlai Tong," the other answered.

"Agent Enlai," Long Feng said, and he smiled. "I believe we have much to discuss."

* * *

"Tea's ready."

General Iroh looked up from the letter he was writing to see his son standing before his desk. Lu Ten had a tea tray in his hands and a smile on his face that Iroh could barely see in the dim dawn light. He loved having his workspace outside, especially now that he could view the break in the Outer Wall from his tent, but the lighting in the early morning was terrible. Tents, at least, kept the wind from blowing out the candles.

"How's the letter coming?" Lu Ten asked, placing the tray on a patch of space his father cleared on the desk.

"Very well," Iroh answered, taking one of the teacups. He held it just under his nose, inhaling the steam. "Ginseng?"

"Your favorite," Lu Ten nodded, taking his own cup. Iroh smiled appreciatively and took a sip. Lu Ten's eyes roamed over his father's desk, and paused on the small wooden cases sitting on the far end. "You're sending gifts?"

"To your cousins," Iroh nodded. He reached for one case and opened it. "This is for Zuko."

Lu Ten recognized the knife immediately. General Sang Shi had given it to his father upon surrendering. "Don't you think that'd be more appropriate to send to Grandpa? It _is_ the symbol of the enemy's defeat..."

"While you have a point," Iroh chuckled, "you should know by now that your grandfather cares little for pomp and tokens. Besides, Zuko would benefit from it more, I think. That boy needs something inspirational."

Lu Ten plucked the pearl dagger from its case and turned it over in his hands. "Of course. Because 'Made in Earth Kingdom' is such an inspirational phrase."

"You know perfectly well what I mean, Lu Ten," Iroh smiled.

"Wonder why they even need to say where it's made," Lu Ten mused. "The green gives it away." He placed the dagger back in its case. "What are you sending Zuli?"

Iroh opened the other case, and Lu Ten suppressed a grimace. "Ah," he said, as politely as he could manage. "Very nice."

"Yes, I thought so," Iroh said, picking up the little doll. "Hopefully she will like it, despite all the green."

Lu Ten refrained from slapping his forehead. He loved his father dearly, but unlike his son, Iroh didn't know Azula very well.

"When are you sending this?" he asked.

"Today," Iroh answered. "Do you have anything you'd like to send along?"

Lu Ten finished his tea. "Actually, yes. Yes, I do." He set the cup on the tray. "I'll just go to my tent and get it." He had three letters written already, one for his grandfather, one addressed to Uncle Ozai's family in general, and one for his old friend Min Lee, but if he could find something to send Azula, something that would fit her personality better...

"Very well," Iroh said. "Don't take too long. We have much to do today in preparation for the advance."

"Of course," Lu Ten said, bowing quickly and hurrying to his tent. The letters sat on a table inside, ignored as the prince started rifling through his things. Clothing, papers, armor, and blankets were tossed aside as he searched for something - _anything_ \- that Azula would actually appreciate. He loved his cousins dearly - _both_ of them - and he didn't like giving special treatment to either of them; not to Azula for being a prodigy, and not to Zuko for being average. If Zuko got a fancy dagger, Azula shouldn't have to make due with a silly doll. Treating the kids as equals was important if they were ever going to get along.

That, and the fact that Azula _still_ hadn't quite opened up to the wonder that was tea, and Lu Ten had the sneaking suspicion that his father was the cause. Azula had always regarded her uncle as being rather odd, and if he let his father send her that doll, he knew her opinion of Iroh would only drop. And then there _definitely_ wouldn't be much chance to convert her to tea-ism.

He wasn't obsessed. He was an _enthusiast_.

The tent flap opened, and an officer stepped in, eyes fixed on the scroll in his hands. "Sir, we need to make some inspections of the troops that will make up the north flank during the advance - what in the name of Agni are you _doing?_ "

"Hi Jouin," Lu Ten said, pawing through a pile of dirty laundry that had accumulated along one side of his tent. Maybe there was something under it he'd forgotten about. Surely he had some random loot lying around _somewhere_. "Did you sleep well last night?"

Lieutenant Jouin watched the prince of his nation toss smelly socks and tunics aside for a moment before replying. "Sir," he said, "what are you doing?"

"I need a present to send to Zuli," Lu Ten answered, deciding that there really was nothing worthwhile in the laundry pile and moving on to his desk. "Any ideas?"

"...I thought General Iroh was sending gifts," Jouin said carefully.

"Oh, he is," Lu Ten said. "Zuko's getting a knife, but he's sending Azula a doll."

"Ah," said Jouin, nodding in sudden understanding. Now it all made sense.

"Exactly," said Lu Ten. "So. Any ideas?"

Jouin rolled up the scroll and thought for a moment. "How about another knife?"

"Um, no. She's a firebending prodigy. She doesn't care much about knives."

"Some sort of Earth Kingdom armor? A helmet, perhaps?"

"I don't think Zuli cares much about helmets."

"I'm assuming some looted Earth Kingdom jewelry is out of the question?" Jouin asked.

" _Yes_ ," Lu Ten answered, irritation lacing his voice. Azula didn't care much for jewelry, either. "Yes, it is. Besides, I need this _now_ , and I don't exactly have looted jewelry hanging around my tent."

Jouin grinned, almost mischievously. "Not _anymore_ , you mean."

Lu Ten gave him a look. "That train of thought won't help me find Zuli a present," he said, and Jouin dropped the subject to continue thinking of suggestions. " _Why_ is it so hard to find a decent present for an eight-year-old girl?" Lu Ten grumbled.

"Well..." Jouin said slowly, "how about a piece of the wall?"

Lu Ten stared at him. "A piece of the wall," he repeated. Jouin sighed.

"Alright, sorry, bad ide - "

"Jouin, you're a _lifesaver_ ," Lu Ten proclaimed, and he dashed out of the tent, leaving his lieutenant to stand there.

"Um...you're welcome, I guess," Jouin said to empty space.

It was easy enough to find the piles of rubble that used to be a section of the Outer Wall. Fire Nation soldiers had carted the rocks away as the wall was blasted apart and torn down, so there were many small mountains of stones throughout the camp. Lu Ten chose a fist-sized chunk of rock from one of the piles and carried it back to his tent, where his lieutenant was still standing.

"We can get down to business in a few minutes, Jouin," he promised, sitting at his desk to write a quick note to go along with the gift. "Right now, could you go find me a box this rock would fit in?"

"Of course, Sir," the other replied, and with a longsuffering sigh he left the tent. Lu Ten smiled and rolled his eyes before going back to the note.

A few minutes later, the rock and the parchment were sealed away in the little box Jouin had procured, and Lu Ten and Jouin made their way back to General Iroh. They reached his desk just as the older man finished his own letter.

"Everything set?" Iroh asked as Lu Ten placed his own letters and the box with Zuli's rock beside the other things that were going back to the Fire Nation.

"Yes," Lu Ten answered. "Everything's set."

"Good to hear it," Jouin said, unrolling his scroll. "Prince Lu Ten, we need to make some inspections of the troops that will be under your command in the north flank."

"Very well, then," Lu Ten nodded. "I suppose we'd better do that. See you at lunch, father?"

Iroh wasn't looking at his son. His gaze was fixed on the Outer Wall as he sipped from his teacup. "Look at that sunrise," he murmured, nodding toward the wall. Lu Ten and Jouin turned around to see the sky awash in oranges and pinks, with the slightest tint of blue around the bright yellow beacon that was the sun. The Outer Wall thrown into dark contrast against the bright colors.

"I can't wait to see what the city looks like on the inside," Lu Ten murmured.

"I couldn't care less about what the city looks like," Jouin grumbled. "I don't care if I _never_ see it. I just want to get away from this stupid wall." Despite his tone, his eyes were shining at the sight of Agni's light.

"We will see the city soon, I'm sure," Iroh assured them, taking another sip of tea. "I had a vision of it, after all. It's destiny."


	2. Chapter 1: Six Feet Under

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's the second chapter. As always, I'd like to thank Stingrae for being such an awesome beta. This chapter gave us quite a few issues when it was first written, but we finally managed to work it into something presentable. Woot!
> 
> I'd also like to thank my good friend Sparkler for being such a great test audience. I forgot to thank her in the last chapter because, much like Long Feng, I was only operating with half a brain. Whoops. Sorry Sparky.
> 
> You know what else I forgot last chapter? A disclaimer. Not that it has much legal standing, but it's still polite to point out that I don't own ATLA; Mike and Bryan do.
> 
> This chapter has a warning for non-graphic but still somewhat descriptive and rather gruesome character death. 
> 
> Enjoy!

**Chapter 1 - Six Feet Under**

Lu Ten hated rocks. Specifically the flying kind.

"Sir, look out!"

Someone yanked him down to the ground, and Lu Ten watched a massive boulder harmlessly sail over him. It crashed into a few of his men several feet away instead, and they died with strangled screams.

Lu Ten cursed.

"Sorry, sir," Jouin grunted, getting back on his feet. Lu Ten followed suit, taking in the situation as best he could. His troops were in disarray and a number of them were dead after that earthquake. The farmland to the left of the regiment had exploded from underground, revealing legions of Earthbenders who'd tunneled from the north to launch a surprise attack. They were keeping their assault long-range, too, hurling boulders at the Fire Army while staying well out of range of any fire blasts.

And to make matters worse, Lu Ten could _still_ feel the earth shifting beneath his feet. He cursed again. The Earthbenders had _known_ where to wait for his men, and that probably meant there was a mole-rat in the Fire Nation's ranks. He wondered if the south flank was facing a similar surprise attack. "This wasn't supposed to happen."

"I know," Jouin answered, his eyes on the hoard of green-clad men some hundred feet off. They could worry about rooting out possible traitors later. Right now, they had to get through this alive. Considering the number of rocks flying through the air and the fact that their flames couldn't even reach their attackers from here, that was going to be hard. "Orders, sir?"

Lu Ten glanced over his shoulder to assess the state of his troops. His men were out of formation, many of them were getting crushed, and his Komodo rhino had thrown him from its back during the earthquake and run off to Agni knew where, so directing this mess was going to be a hassle.

Up ahead and to the southeast, he saw Iroh's troops being kept busy by the rest of the Earth Army - the section of the Earth Army that this entire assault had meant to be aimed at, actually. At least things were going according to plan for his father. Lu Ten and his men were _supposed_ to be up there, helping out.

"Alright," Lu Ten said, dodging another boulder. "We need to regroup the troops so we can concentrate our power - " He broke off when his lieutenant said a word that was not meant for polite company. "What's wrong?"

Jouin would have explained what was going on - that he'd just realized that, despite attacking first and putting the north flank on the defensive, few of the Earthbenders had rushed into the melee. They were all just hanging back, throwing rocks at the Firebenders, keeping a good distance between them and their opponents. Jouin would have pointed out that, when Earthbenders employed such tactics, it was usually because they were preparing for something big. Jouin would have told Lu Ten that running or taking evasive action was probably a very good idea at the moment. But Jouin never got to say any of those things because he, Lu Ten, and the entire north flank suddenly found the earth shifting violently beneath them.

* * *

Afterwards, on the surface, there were few bodies to be found. Such was the nature of fighting with Earthbenders - the very ground could rise up and swallow you whole, leaving no remains behind.

The remaining Fire Nation forces were quickly driven back by the Earth Kingdom army, but before that happened, General Iroh had enough time to take a good look at what was left of his son's troops.

There wasn't much.

Iroh stared at the sight from atop his rhino. It was disturbing to see, to say the least. The ground where the north flank had stood was uneven and rocky, and the occasional red-clad corpse could be made out through the still-settling dust, but aside from that...there was no way to tell that the earth had been so violently bended. It looked like a natural landscape. The only difference was that the dirt was much darker than that of the surrounding cornfields, and no little plants sprouted from the earth.

The ground had been completely flipped upside down, taking the entire north flank with it. Those men were literally six feet under. At least.

And there was no question that Lu Ten was with them.

_My son..._

The battle on the field was nothing compared to the one being waged in Iroh's mind.

_He can't be dead - But of course he's dead! - He_ _**can't** _ _be dead - There is_ _**no way** _ _he could possibly have survived - Is there even a body? - He isn't dead - It would be impossible to find it - I need to get the remaining troops out of here before they attack again - I need to find my son - He isn't dead -_

"Sir! The Earthbenders are regrouping. It looks like they'll be going on the offensive. What are your orders?"

_\- He isn't dead -Yes, he is - I need to get the troops out of here - I need to find him - I don't have time to find the body - He's my_ _**son** _ _\- My troops are people's sons, too..._

There was no time to look for a body he wouldn't find. There was no time for shock. There wasn't even time to be a father.

Right now, he needed to be a general, and he needed to think of his troops.

"Order the men to retreat," Iroh said thickly.

"Sir?" his lieutenant asked.

"Retreat," he repeated, forcing himself to not shake as he stared fixedly at what he knew was his son's grave. This was wrong. Lu Ten was not supposed to die, and he definitely was not supposed to be left to rot in the ground; he should have a proper funeral pyre... And so should all the other men who lay dead with him. "Fall back to the Outer Wall."

"Yes, sir," the other said, and he hastily went about giving the order. Iroh pried his eyes away from the innocent-looking earth and steered his rhino back toward the troops.

His son was dead. Gone. Forever. He needed to get his troops out of here before they met the same fate.

Within an hour, the Fire Nation had been completely driven out of the Agrarian Zone, beyond the Outer Wall.

* * *

When Lu Ten came to, it was dark and his head hurt.

Scratch that - his entire _body_ hurt, and he soon realized that was partially because he was in the most uncomfortable position imaginable. He grunted and tried to pull himself up into a sitting position, but when he realized his legs were trapped by some rocks, he resorted to merely straightening himself out on his stomach as best he could. He blinked a few times into the darkness and, when that didn't restore his vision, he felt the first flutters of panic.

_I'm not blind, am I?_

He held his hand out before him and bent a flame in his palm, and relief flooded through him when he saw its bright light. _Oh, thank Agni..._ he thought, squinting at the fire before his eyes adjusted and he could take in his surroundings. The little flame splashed a soft glow onto stone walls and the low ceiling, sending flickering shadows scurrying across the rocks.

With a sinking feeling, Lu Ten realized he was in an air pocket. And he had no idea how far underground he was.

To make matters worse, Jouin's mangled body lay a few feet in front of him, crushed under a large chunk of rock. Sightless eyes stared up at the ceiling as red rivers streamed from a half-smashed skull.

Lu Ten felt something inside him freeze, and he lost his concentration. His fire went out.

The prince stared into the darkness, torn between taking another look and sparing himself the gruesome sight.

"That looks like it was painful," he said at last, trying to stay rational through the shock of seeing his friend's body. For a few moments he only stared at nothing, and then he took a deep breath before bending another flame. Forcing himself to not look at Jouin, he turned to the walls surrounding him. They only went up a few feet before hitting the ceiling, and he didn't know how much farther it was to the surface after that. He turned his head around to get a look at his legs, and was just able to make out the large stones holding them down.

First things first, he decided, and he pushed himself up so he'd be able to reach his legs and – hopefully - free them. That was when the pain hit. A split second later, he was lying on his stomach again, gasping and eyes squeezed shut. It was dark again; his light had gone out.

" _Agni_ ," he hissed, fingernails scratching the stone floor. It felt like hours before the pain subsided, and then he carefully – _carefully_ \- lifted himself up again, twisting around slowly and conjuring another flame to try and see what the problem was.

He quickly found out. His legs weren't just pinned - they were practically _crushed_. Looking at it only made it feel worse, so Lu Ten quickly turned away from the sight, forcing himself to ignore the pain. As long as he didn't move, there was nothing more than a distant, throbbing ache in his legs - the heavy rocks were applying enough pressure that he couldn't really feel much more than that.

Forced to quit his efforts at freedom before they'd even begun, Lu Ten took another look at the little air pocket. The ceiling looked like a solid slab of rock - even if he somehow _did_ manage to free his legs, there was no way he'd be able to get out of here. His gaze trailed down from the rocks to Jouin's body where it lay in a pool of blood some feet away.

"I'm going to die down here," he said to the corpse, "aren't I?"

The other didn't answer, and Lu Ten hadn't expected him to. He looked back to the flame in his hand. Chances were it was eating up his air supply. He knew he should probably put it out, but instead he merely watched it flicker. "I'm going to die down here," he murmured again, nearly choking on the words. "I'm going to - " The words caught in his throat, and he inhaled deeply, trying to stay calm even as a wave of horror came over him. In his hand, the fire sputtered, shrank, and died.

Spirits, it was _not_ supposed to end like this.

* * *

He wound up panicking. Most people who get buried alive do. Trapped that far underground, with only the cold, hard knowledge that there was no escape, and swirling, repetitive thoughts of darkness and loneliness and a slow death to keep you company, even the hardest warrior's nerve would shatter.

He shook uncontrollably, breath coming in strangled gasps. Every inhalation made him nauseous, and he felt dizzy, like he was falling, like he was dying.

He wasn't sure what scared him more - the thought that he might be dying, or the fact that he hoped he was.

The only upside to the situation was that the shaky breathing didn't allow for any angry firebending tantrums, which would only eat up his air supply that much faster.

Part of him thought maybe it'd be better if he ran out of air sooner. Why prolong the inevitable?

* * *

In life, Jouin had always been willing to lend an ear. He'd sit quietly and listen while you blathered on about whatever was on your mind, only injecting comments when necessary. For the most part, he remained silent and let you talk.

In death, he wasn't much different.

"I hope Dad's okay," Lu Ten was telling him. The panic had passed some time ago, leaving him with only a grim sense of resignation. "I hope he's okay. But I _know_ he's not. Spirits, this is terrible." He rubbed his forehead and took in a shaky breath. "This is _terrible_."

Beyond terrible, really.

"I hate waiting," Lu Ten added. "Wish I'd died as fast as..." He glanced in the direction of his friend's corpse. "Wish I'd died instantly. That would've been better than - than _this_." He stared into the darkness for a moment before adding, "Should've waited a few more years. I should've waited – I should've gotten married…" He thought, briefly, of Min Lee, and quickly pushed the notion from his head. "I should've gotten married and had a kid or two and ensured the line to the throne first and _then_ gone on campaign." After a moment of silence, he added, "I hope…I hope Zuko's up to it."

Jouin didn't say anything, and Lu Ten was grateful for the darkness. He could pretend that Jouin wasn't actually _dead_ \- just staying silent. Silent and supportive. Like always.

Spirits, Jouin didn't deserve this. None of his men deserved this, but Jouin least of all. Jouin was more than just a subordinate - he was a friend. They'd been working together since before the Siege, and they'd saved each other's lives more times than they'd kept track of. Jouin was a good sparring partner and a terrific shogi player, he'd always been happy to play the tsungi horn on music night, he'd taught Lu Ten how to weave coolie hats and Lu Ten had taught him how to properly brew tea, and he was always writing letters to his mother and single remaining sister, because his father and other siblings had already perished in the war -

 _I should be writing to his family_ , Lu Ten thought bleakly. Certainly, _someone_ would be writing to Jouin's family to tell them the news, but... _It should be_ _ **me**_ _. Not...whoever they get to do it. He served with_ _ **me**_ _, I_ _ **knew**_ _him, he was my_ _ **friend**_ _... And I should be telling them that he died honorably for his country. Nobly sacrificing himself for some greater good. Saving the lives of his comrades. Jouin shouldn't have pointlessly died in an ambush..._

Jouin shouldn't have _died_ at all.

Lu Ten thought of all the men who'd been under his command and blanched. How many mothers had lost sons today?

"I'm sorry," Lu Ten mumbled, closing his eyes and tiredly resting his forehead on the floor. He should have strategized better, fought harder, calculated farther...caught whoever had sold them out...anything. "I'm sorry."

 _"Not your fault, sir,"_ Jouin would have said. _"Stop kicking yourself over it."_

Lu Ten sighed. "Wish I had some tea." He imagined Jouin smiling and shaking his head at that. Jouin had liked tea, but he wasn't fanatical about it.

Now, boarcupine roasting. Jouin had been _obsessed_ with the proper way to roast a boarcupine. It'd involved building an underground oven and wrapping the pig in leaves and letting it cook for _hours_ , but the result had been the most mouthwatering pork Lu Ten had ever tasted.

Jouin had declared it the worst roast he'd ever had the misfortune to cook. His complaints about the outcome were numerous. They'd had to use river rocks instead of the proper volcanic ones for the oven, and they'd had to improvise with the leaves because ash banana trees didn't grow near Ba Sing Se. _"The taste is off,"_ he'd claimed, even as Lu Ten had dug into the meat. _"You come to Waiki someday, sir, I'll see you get a_ _ **proper**_ _boarcupine roast."_

His complaints hadn't stopped the camp from going back for seconds.

It suddenly struck Lu Ten that he was getting hungry. Judging from his still-functional internal clock, it was nearly evening.

He'd been down here for _hours_. And his air supply hadn't run out yet. Which meant that there was probably some small hole leading back up to the surface, letting air in...which meant he probably wasn't going to die of asphyxiation.

He wondered, for a moment, if maybe he should just stab a fire dagger through his chest.

* * *

When he woke up from a sleep he didn't remember falling into, he panicked, because judging from the stony surface he was lying on and the stale air, he was probably _not_ in his tent. Then memory set in, and the panic gave way to annoyance and despair at not having died yet and still being stuck in this predicament. And then he realized that the earth around him was rumbling and shaking unnaturally.

 _Earthbenders?_ he wondered tiredly as the noise and shaking died down. _What in Agni's name do they want?_ Maybe there was another battle going on. Maybe they were searching for survivors. Or maybe they were just smoothing out the farmland that had been ruined during the onslaught. Lu Ten wondered if he should hope for the second option, but figured that the first or third was more reasonable. Why on earth would they care for survivors? For that matter, why would they think there _were_ survivors? Moving the earth the way they had tended to kill anyone standing in the way.

Still, he had to take all options into account. If there was another battle being fought, there was nothing he could do about it. But if the Earthbenders _were_ looking for survivors and found him...

He wondered if he should hope for it to happen. He didn't know if they would kill him immediately or hold him hostage. Probably the latter. If they would want him dead, they wouldn't even bother looking for survivors in the first place.

Being a prisoner of war wasn't a desirable fate, of course, but he would much rather be where he could see the sun than down here in this lightless pit. And of course, there was always the chance of escape. If they knew who he was, though, they would probably use him for ransom.

He wondered what he was worth. The entire city of Ba Sing Se, perhaps?

 _Can't let that happen_ , Lu Ten decided. Ba Sing Se was to be his father's greatest victory, and the Fire Nation's ultimate triumph in the war. It had taken them nearly a hundred years to even be able to _reach_ the city, and then six hundred days to besiege it, and now that they'd broken through the Outer Wall victory was finally within their grasp. He couldn't allow something like a ransom to get in the way of his father's - and grandfather's - conquest.

There was another rumbling session, this one closer than the last.

If he _did_ end up as a prisoner, he decided, he wouldn't let them know who he was. It wouldn't be terribly hard. Fire Nation armor all looked the same, and there was little chance that anyone would be able to recognize him.

The only problem would be the gold Fire Nation insignia in his topknot.

Lu Ten reached up with one hand and pulled out the hairpiece, lighting a flame in the other hand as he did so. He stared at the emblem of his country for a moment before looking to Jouin. His friend's body wasn't quite lying out of reach - he was able to touch his head, at least. Lu Ten reached out and awkwardly slid the ornament into Jouin's topknot.

He studied his handiwork while trying to ignore his friend's bloody corpse. It looked convincing enough, he decided, and he put out his light.

Around him, the earth rumbled again, and Lu Ten felt the tiniest stirrings of hope and anticipation. Now he just needed to wait and see what happened.

Some time later, the earth around him went through some extremely intense vibrations. After a moment, the ceiling was lifted away, and Lu Ten found himself practically blinded with light. Relief flooded him, and he squinted up at Agni's brilliance.

Two Earthbenders stood above him.

"Well, well, well," one of them said, staring down into the pit. "What do we have here?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Long Feng gives General How the creeps.
> 
> Y'know, while writing this, I was surprised at how much posthumous character development Jouin wound up getting. It's kinda funny, really.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed!


	3. Chapter 2: The Cleanup Crew

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much to say about this one. Except that the How/Long Feng dynamic is always fun to write, given how much the Dai Li freak out How and how little Long Feng cares. (And for those of you who may not remember, How is that general in Ba Sing Se who planned out the Day of Black Sun attack with Katara.)
> 
> Also, this one is shorter than the first two, but most of the rest of the chapters are much longer.

**Chapter 2 - The Cleanup Crew**

"General How, the Grand Secretariat is here."

How sighed to himself as he watched his men smooth out the ground. Like all his meetings with the Grand Secretariat, this wasn't one he was looking forward to.

It could have been worse, of course. At least he didn't have to inform Long Feng that they'd _lost_.

"Very well," How said, turning to face the messenger. "I'll go and meet him."

"That won't be necessary, sir," the other answered, glancing over his shoulder. "He's already coming."

How followed the man's gaze to see a stone train car making its way towards them. The Agrarian Zone railways had had limited use during the Siege, and had been completely shut down since the Fire Nation broke through the Outer Wall. The train cars, however, had proved very useful for transporting large numbers of troops at once.

"I see," How said, watching the car approach. Deciding to cut his subordinate a break, he added, "You're dismissed, Corporal."

"Yes sir," the other answered, unable to keep the relief out of his voice as he bowed and quickly left the scene. How couldn't help but envy him.

It didn't take long for the train car to reach the general, and the two Earthbenders controlling it brought it to a smooth stop. How took a deep, calming breath as Long Feng disembarked.

"Grand Secretariat," he greeted.

"General," Long Feng said evenly, looking over the battlefield. A pair of Dai Li agents left the train to stand behind their leader, and How suppressed his instinctive unease. The men's faces weren't visible, but the general knew that nothing escaped the eyes hiding under those wide-brimmed hats.

"Director Delun," he said, nodding politely at the bearded agent. Why the Dai Li's Head of Preservation was here instead of taking care of his precious museums, How had no idea. "And Agent…" Here he trailed off, because he suddenly realized that he had no idea who the other member of Long Feng's little honor guard was. This led to an embarrassing few moments of silence, until Long Feng decided to break it.

"General How, this is Agent Enlai Tong," he said, still surveying the battlefield. The agent in question lifted his head, and How immediately wished he hadn't. The other man's brown eyes were piercing. "He's the one who obtained the information on the Fire Nation's invasion plans."

"Agent Enlai," How repeated. He just wished the man would lower his head again. "You've done the Earth Kingdom a great service."

"It was my pleasure," the agent answered.

"I must say I'm impressed, General," Long Feng went on, and How happily took his attention away from Agent Enlai. "To the untrained eye, it looks like the land was hardly bent at all."

"It was more noticeable earlier," How said, looking over the landscape. "My men have been smoothing the earth out. With any luck, we'll be finished in time to replace the crops we lost."

"Very good," Long Feng said. "And the Wall?" He nodded toward the giant gaping break where the Fire Army had come in.

"I already have battalions working on it," How assured him. "Hopefully we'll have our defenses back in place before the Firebenders decide to try and push through again. The repairs won't be pretty, of course, but they'll serve their purpose."

Long Feng had a satisfied look on his face as he gazed over the landscape. "So that's it, then."

"Most likely," How agreed. Even if the Fire Army decided to stick around, they wouldn't stand much chance once the Wall was back in place. The only reason they'd managed to blast through the first time was because of the unholy amounts of blasting jelly they'd stocked up on. It'd be a long time before they had so much of the stuff again.

"Have we confirmed that Prince Lu Ten was killed in the attack?" Long Feng asked.

"Not quite," How said, looking at the acres of earth that had been overturned in the fight. "Finding a body will be difficult." They didn't even know what the man _looked_ like. Useful as Agent Enlai's information had been, the packet of battle plans had only listed officers' names, not pictures. "I have spies infiltrating the enemy as we speak. They'll be able to tell us if the prince is dead." It would be a lovely bonus, he thought. Pushing the Firebenders out of the Agrarian Zone, retaking and rebuilding the Outer Wall, _and_ eliminating an heir to the Fire Nation throne, all in one day. That would have to be some sort of record.

But frankly, even if they hadn't managed that last bit, How was feeling very good about how the battle had turned out. The Fire Nation was _out_ of the Agrarian Zone, and that was all that mattered.

"Let me know when you get that information," Long Feng said.

"Of course," How nodded.

"Also," Long Feng said, "do you know when you'll find a suitable replacement for General Sang Shi?"

"Not yet," How said. "The Council still needs to arrange a meeting." Now that the Fire Nation was beyond the Outer Wall again, maybe they'd actually have time for it.

"Have you got any candidates?"

"A few," How said, thinking over the possibilities. "Though I've no idea which one would be the best choice. I'll discuss it with my fellow generals soon."

"Very good," Long Feng nodded.

A pair of Earthbenders who'd been smoothing out the ground a hundred feet away started shouting. "General How! We've got something you'd probably like to see over here!"

Grateful for the distraction, How turned away from Long Feng and walked towards his subordinates. Of course, the Grand Secretariat and his lackeys followed him. It only took them a few seconds to get to the soldiers, and the pit they were standing over. One of the men gestured down into the earth, and How felt his eyes widen when he saw a Fire Nation soldier glaring up at him.

"He's alive?" he asked.

"Obviously," one of the Earthbenders grunted. "Lucky bastard."

"Or not," the other one added, gesturing to the Fire Nation man's legs. They were quite firmly pinned under some large rocks, and even from five feet up How could tell they were probably broken.

"It's amazing anyone survived," How said. He wondered how many other Fire soldiers might be buried alive.

Agent Enlai shifted, and How cast a quick glance at him. The other man had a strange look in his eye as he stared down at the Fire Nation soldier.

"Orders, sir?" one of his soldiers asked. How paused, wondering what to do. On the one hand, a prisoner might be useful, if only for getting information out of him. On the other hand, keeping the man alive might be more trouble than it was worth, especially if he was just a common foot soldier without any knowledge beyond the Fire Army's most basic workings.

Before How could come to a decision, though, Agent Delun suddenly left Long Feng's side to peer into the pit. How then noticed the other body lying there, crushed by a rock and undoubtedly dead.

"Interesting," the bearded Dai Li said, edging around the rim of the pit. He stopped where he had a good view of the dead soldier. The live one continued glaring.

"What is it?" Long Feng asked.

"If I'm not mistaken," Delun answered, pointing towards the corpse's head, "the hairpiece appears to be of the design reserved for members of the royal family." The Fire Nation soldier was eyeing Delun warily now, but the agent paid him no mind.

How and Long Feng exchanged glances.

"You're certain?" How asked.

"Almost," Delun answered. "If I could get a closer look..."

How turned to his soldiers. "Get him out of there," he ordered, nodding to the survivor. Might as well keep the man alive until he was absolutely sure he didn't need him. The Earthbenders nodded and set to work. The man's legs were freed first. The general and the Dai Li watched warily as the soldiers went through the motions, ready to act should the Fire Nation man attack. The moment the stones were lifted and the pressure taken away from the injuries, however, the man started screaming. The Earth Kingdom soldiers paid no heed to his curses and shouts as they pulled him out of the pit. The bursts of fire that came from his hands, however, were a little less easy to ignore.

"Yeow!" one of the men yelped, releasing the prisoner's arm to put out the flames that had sprung up on his tunic. The Firebender took the opportunity to shove a fistful of flame toward his other captor, who quickly let go of him. Suddenly unsupported, the prisoner dropped to the ground, wincing as he jarred his legs and determinedly bringing his hands up for another blast of fire.

It never came, however, because a pair of rock gloves suddenly sailed through the air, and the Firebender's arms were instantly secured behind his back.

"Thank you, Enlai," Long Feng said, stepping forward to get a better view of the prisoner. How glanced at the agent, whose arms were still outstretched from throwing the cuffs. He hadn't even noticed the man bring his arms from behind his back.

Delun had hopped down into the pit, and was now examining the dead man's topknot. He pulled the ornamental headpiece out of the blood-matted hair and turned it over in his hands. How wondered what sort of secrets the history buff was divining from the stylized flame.

He turned to his soldiers, who seemed more or less alright, albeit a little singed. They were watching Long Feng, who was gazing down at the prisoner in an unimpressed manner. The man was hissing in pain and snarling things that weren't repeatable.

"Any plans for this one?" Long Feng asked.

"I don't know," How admitted, eyeing Enlai. The agent was glaring at the Firebender. The Firebender was glaring right back. In the pit, Delun came to a conclusion.

"Definitely," he said, drawing everyone's attention. "Definitely one of the royals."

"You're sure?" Long Feng asked.

"Positive," Delun said, holding up the hairpiece. "It's the flares, you see, the way the points are laid out. This particular design was adopted by the Fire Nation's royal family seven hundred years ago, during Fire Lady Akane's reign, and it's reserved for the heirs to the throne. The three prongs are symbolic of the three main forms of fire - fire, lightning, and the sun - though supposedly they also represented Akane herself and her sisters, Princesses Kiyomi and Miwa."

How blinked at the useless information, Long Feng looked vaguely annoyed, Enlai stared blankly, and the Firebender stopped cursing to stare at Delun incredulously, his face twisted into an expression so confused and skeptical it was almost hilarious.

"Also," Delun added, tossing the ornament to Long Feng, "it's made of gold."

Long Feng caught the hairpiece easily and turned it over in his hands, carefully studying the metal. "Tell me, boy," he said, looking to the prisoner for one last confirmation, "is that your prince down there?"

His only response was a heated glare. Long Feng glanced at Enlai, and the rock cuffs around the Firebender's arms tightened. The man hissed in pain.

"I asked you a question," Long Feng said, dangerously calm, and the Firebender snarled before replying.

" _Yes_ ," he ground out. "Yes, that's him."

How saw his soldiers exchange shocked glances. "We got him?" one breathed, hardly daring to believe it.

"We got him!" the other grinned, and the Firebender glared at the two.

Long Feng looked at How, smiling grimly. "We may very well have just ended the Siege, General."

"Perhaps," How said, not wanting to be so certain yet, but Long Feng waved aside his doubts.

"The chaos sure to be caused by taking out a member of the royal family - not to mention any emotional issues General Iroh himself will face - has a very good chance of resulting in the Fire Nation's withdrawal from our land," Long Feng said.

How would have replied - probably to say something doubtful about General Iroh's capacity to have human emotions - but he was interrupted by the Firebender's low, grim laughter.

"You're a fool," the man chuckled darkly, "if you think the Dragon of the West will give up so easily."

Long Feng turned his gaze back down to the prisoner, looking slightly amused. "Is that so?" he asked.

"He'll break down your walls and set fire to your land," the Firebender hissed. "Your city will go up in flames for what you've done today."

And that would be the flipside of the coin, How reflected. If General Iroh _did_ have human emotions, who was to say he wouldn't direct his grief and anger toward completely obliterating the city?

"I'll take my chances," Long Feng said coolly.

"There aren't many of them," the soldier shot back. "The Fire Nation will prevail. Fire consumes everything in its path. It's in its nature. You can't change it."

At those last words, How saw a light flare up in Long Feng's eyes. "I can't change it?" he repeated, smiling dangerously. He handed the hairpiece back to Delun, who'd come out of the pit, and gazed thoughtfully at the Firebender. Delun pocketed the ornament, sending his superior a questioning look.

How took a moment to stare down at the Fire Prince's corpse one last time before motioning to his soldiers. Some quick earthbending covered the body and smoothed out the ground, leaving no trace of the pit. How turned around to see the Fire Nation soldier glaring at them angrily, eyes narrow and jaw rigid. Briefly, How recalled the reports of Fire Nation soldiers burning their dead on ceremonial pyres - and piling the carcasses of their fallen enemies and setting fire to them. He fixed the Firebender with an even gaze.

_You burn our dead, we bury yours._

"Now," How said aloud, "what do we do with him?"

Long Feng eyed the Firebender in an appraising manner. The prisoner was still glaring, but his gaze was a little uncertain now. Long Feng turned to face How. "If it's all the same to you, General, the Dai Li will take him off your hands."

How briefly wondered just _what_ the Dai Li would want with a Fire Nation prisoner before deciding he didn't want to know. "You can have him, then."

"Many thanks," Long Feng smiled. Delun stepped toward the confused-looking Fire Nation man, and he glanced at Enlai. Together, they hoisted their captive to his feet, eliciting an agonized gasp from the Firebender.

"If you'll excuse me, General, I have business to attend to," Long Feng said. "Keep up the good work on the Wall. Your service to the Earth Kingdom is indispensable." He walked back toward the train car, followed by his agents and their prisoner. How felt a sense of relief that grew with every step the Dai Li took away from him.

"That man gives me the creeps," one of the soldiers muttered. How said nothing, though he whole-heartedly agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Lu Ten has an interesting train ride, and Long Feng talks with an old friend.


	4. Chapter 3: Shirong Gets a Challenge

**Chapter 3 - Shirong Gets A Challenge**

Lu Ten had never been on a train before, and he couldn't say he was enjoying his first experience.

The ride itself wasn't bad. The two Earth Kingdom soldiers who'd been recruited as conductors did their job well, moving the car along at a fast, smooth pace and keeping it well above the little seedlings growing in the earth. The scenery wasn't bad, either - mostly fields and the occasional farmhouse, with a few relatively small mountains and the ever-looming Outer Wall in the distance.

But instead of marveling at the ride's speed or its smoothness or looking at the land his nation was so intent on burning, Lu Ten was preoccupied by the three other passengers in the car with him.

The two men who'd dragged him from the battlefield were sitting on either side of him, each with a strong hold on one of his arms. The younger of the two glanced at the Firebender every now and then, brown eyes more cautious than curious. He was an Earthbender, Lu Ten remembered, carefully flexing his hands where they were bound behind his back. The rock cuffs were a neat trick, he had to admit, but they were also _really_ uncomfortable.

Nowhere near as much as his legs, however, which went so far beyond uncomfortable that they were in the realm of outright agony. Lu Ten couldn't believe he was thinking this, but he actually missed the slab of rock that had been keeping pressure on the broken limbs. They'd hurt like hell since he'd been dragged out of the pit, but he was determined not to show it. No more than he already had, at least. He was mentally kicking himself for screaming the way he had when the soldiers had lifted the rock, but it had hurt so bad he hadn't been able to help it. Gathering his willpower, Lu Ten focused on not acting like he was in excruciating pain, and instead focused on his captors.

He glanced to his left to look at the older, bearded man. Judging from the stone gloves covering his hands, he was a bender too. Unlike his younger companion, though, he seemed quite content to ignore the Firebender - aside from the iron grip he had on Lu Ten's arm. Lu Ten wasn't sure what to make of the man. He was Earth Kingdom, yet he was apparently familiar with Fire Nation history. He'd spontaneously spouted off facts about the royal family most commoner Fire folk didn't know. And Lu Ten was pretty sure the man's words had been true. He didn't remember _everything_ his tutors had taught him, but the story of Fire Lady Akane and the symbolism behind the crown sounded _very_ familiar, even though the bit about the prongs representing Akane and her sisters didn't.

It was worrisome, to say the least. If an Earth Kingdom man knew useless facts about Fire Nation royalty from seven hundred years ago, what pertinent facts might he know about the present?

Lu Ten shifted in his seat, causing his younger captor to glance at him and the bearded one to tighten his grip. He grimaced. He didn't _like_ this. Aside from the fact that he was being held prisoner, he had _no idea_ what was going on. He didn't know where they were going, he didn't know what was going to happen to him, and he didn't even know who these men _were_.

The train ride was long, though, and he was bored. And in pain. And in desperate need of a distraction. There was nothing else to do but try and piece the puzzle together.

These two men…they definitely weren't ordinary Earth Kingdom soldiers. After six hundred days of fighting, Lu Ten knew exactly what the enemy's uniforms looked like, and the clothing worn by these men was nothing of the sort. Their robes were too long and flowing, and they had no armor. Their headgear was different, too - more of a hat than a helmet, and the way they kept their heads down, obscuring their eyes, was just...disconcerting.

After a few minutes of thought, Lu Ten recalled the reports given by spies who'd managed to infiltrate the city and come back. According to them, there was an organization in Ba Sing Se known as the Dai Li. Its agents were devoted to protecting Ba Sing Se's cultural heritage, whatever that meant, and doubled as keepers of the peace. Though the reports had only briefly described the Dai Li uniform, Lu Ten was willing to bet that was what his captors were wearing.

He also remembered that general. General How, that was it. Lu Ten had never seen the man up close before. He'd spotted him in battle several times, but only from afar. How had mentioned the Dai Li, had said the Dai Li could have him. It was easy to put two and two together.

What on earth Ba Sing Se's police corps wanted with him, he had no idea.

The third man in the car, however, was different. His clothing was made with richer materials and cut in a different pattern than the Dai Li's, with more gold detail and a formal design that reeked of the upper class. He sat across from Lu Ten and the agents, his posture perfectly straight and rigid as he watched the Firebender.

Lu Ten steadfastly ignored him, only allowing himself a few brief glances while he tried to figure the man out. For the most part, he kept his eyes on the floor, directing his gaze away from his legs. Looking at them only made it worse. He was thankful that he was sitting, because standing was agony as well as impossible. The Dai Li had had to practically drag him to the train.

Thinking about his legs didn't help with the pain, and he wasn't getting anywhere on the third man's identity, so he tried to focus on something else. Briefly, he thought of the Fire Nation army - the troops who'd made it to the other side of the wall, his father - but he forced himself to stop before his mind wandered too far down that path. He had to stay focused, he couldn't let his emotions get in the way right now, he couldn't think about what Iroh was probably going through, faced with his only child's death - no, no, stop.

He wasn't going to think about that. He wasn't.

Instead, he went back to pondering over his captors, specifically the one sitting across from him. He'd figured the Dai Li out, but the man before him was a mystery.

He was obviously some sort of official. Important enough to be inspecting the battlefield. Lu Ten was certain he'd be able to name the man if he had just a little more information. Thanks to the Fire Nation's spies, he was familiar with a good number of Ba Sing Se's more important officials. He thought back on the events that had taken place not ten minutes ago, searching his memory for clues to the man's identity. The Dai Li Agents had been respectful toward him, had obeyed his orders. And this man had been talking to How...had practically ordered the general to hand him over to the Dai Li, and How had obeyed...

How had called him the Grand Secretariat.

It was only thanks to a lifetime of practicing court protocol that Lu Ten's eyes didn't widen to an unnatural size.

He was sitting across from Long Feng. The second most powerful man in the Earth Kingdom. Possibly _the_ most powerful man in the Earth Kingdom, as some reports hinted that King Kuei didn't really do much.

Wow.

Sadly, this revelation didn't help him understand his predicament any better - it just added to the confusion. The second highest ranking man in the Earth Kingdom had ordered a general to hand a war prisoner over to the domestic security forces.

Right.

Lu Ten wondered if he should hope for things to make sense anytime soon.

He glanced at Long Feng again, the newfound knowledge of the man's identity and position allowing him to form a better opinion of him. The Grand Secretariat had a regal bearing, and he gave the impression of someone who was completely in control at all times. His gaze was calculating, but his expression gave no indication of what he was thinking. Lu Ten decided that the man was very much like his element - strong, and steady, and unyielding.

He wondered if, like earth, he was also easily walked over. He highly doubted it, but it was an amusing mental image.

"What's so funny?" Long Feng asked, in a slow, steady tone that was almost polite, and Lu Ten suddenly realized that he was smirking.

"Absolutely nothing," he answered primly. Long Feng's eyes narrowed, and Lu Ten felt the earth cuffs around his wrists tighten.

"I asked you a question," the Grand Secretariat said.

"And I gave you an answer," the prince responded, and he had to suppress a wince as his restraints became painfully tight.

"Do you know who I am?" the other asked.

"Yes, actually," Lu Ten replied. "Grand Secretariat Long Feng. Do you know who I am?"

Long Feng's eyebrows rose briefly, and the younger of the Dai Li agents growled softly.

"Do you _all_ play games?" he grumbled, but fell silent when his superior shot him a look.

"Then you must know that I am one of the Earth Kingdom's most powerful leaders," Long Feng said, looking back at Lu Ten. "As for your identity, it doesn't matter who you used to be. You're a prisoner of the Earth Kingdom now. More precisely, a prisoner of the Dai Li."

Ooh. He was a prisoner of the domestic security force. How scary. Not to mention disgraceful. Couldn't they honor their war prisoners by having the actual _army_ take care of them? The Fire Nation did that much, at least... Then again, Lu Ten got the feeling that he was a special case. He had no idea why that _was_ , exactly - they didn't know he was the prince.

"You," Long Feng went on, "are helpless now. Your fate lies in my hands. I have the power to decide how you will die...or," he added, smiling in a way that was not at all pleasant, "how you will live."

Any other man would have let the conversation die there, but Lu Ten felt the need to say _something_. He was already captured, after all; the only worse thing that could happen was death, which he'd already resigned himself to earlier, and Long Feng was really starting to get on his nerves with his talk about fate and power.

Lu Ten was a prince of the Fire Nation, a direct descendant of Agni himself. He'd grown up surrounded by amazingly talented Firebenders. His great-grandfather was Fire Lord Sozin. His grandfather and cousin were prodigies. His father had slain the last living dragon. His uncle had led decisive and destructive military campaigns that had won the Fire Nation a good deal of Earth Kingdom land. Even his aunt, who was only part of the family by marriage, was the granddaughter of an _Avatar_. His family had led a war for a hundred years - and they were _winning_. They were winning because it was destiny, because the Spirits knew that the Fire Nation's greatness should be spread to the rest of the world, because Agni himself had graced them with the divine right to rule.

Lu Ten knew what power was.

And Long Feng...

"You're a fool," the Fire Prince said. "You know nothing of power." Beside him, the younger agent looked like he was struggling to keep himself from breaking Lu Ten's wrists with the stone cuffs.

"Oh?" Long Feng said, raising an eyebrow in feigned interest. "Enlighten me."

"You think it's all about your position," Lu Ten said slowly. "Your rank, how many subordinates you have. How much higher you're able to climb. And you've climbed pretty far," he added, silently thanking the spies who'd thought to dig up some background information on the Earth Kingdom's higher-ups. Like all members of the royal family, he'd been trained to read people, but he could only see so much in the short amount of time he'd been in Long Feng's presence. "You're the second most powerful man in the Earth Kingdom now, and you had nothing to begin with but determination. Now you believe that's all you'll ever need. But true power," he went on, allowing a slight, secretive smile play on his lips, "the divine right to rule - that's something only the Spirits can grant, and something they've obviously already bestowed upon the Fire Nation. It's only a matter of time before the rest of the world has to give in. It's destiny."

Long Feng regarded him silently for a long moment. Lu Ten held the man's green gaze unflinchingly. The train slid to a gentle halt, and one of the soldiers acting as conductors appeared in the door.

"Grand Secretariat, we've arrived."

"Thank you, Corporal," Long Feng said, standing and motioning to his agents. Before Lu Ten could brace himself, the other two men had hoisted him to his feet, and he had to suppress a yelp at the sudden pain that shot up his legs. "You two are no longer needed," Long Feng told the soldiers as they all exited the train car. "You'd best get back to General How and help with the rebuilding. Dismissed."

The men bowed and returned to the train. As it moved away, Lu Ten managed to get the pain in his legs under control, and he lifted his head to get a look at the landscape. It was pretty, in a way, with its rocky earth and shrubbery, and the surrounding small mountains. The land's most striking feature, however, was the large blue lake.

He only had a moment to take it all in before Long Feng stepped in front of him.

"In response to your little speech," the Grand Secretariat said, "I'll have you know that I care little for the Spirits. I have no use for them." As he spoke, the bearded agent let go of Lu Ten's arm and walked toward the lake, leaving the Firebender to gasp as the left side of his body suddenly lost its support. He stumbled forward, and didn't manage to contain a yelp this time as his legs gave out from under him. A moment later, the other agent non-to-gently yanked him back up, firmly grasping both his arms and keeping him more-or-less on his feet. Lu Ten swore the other man was making it more painful than necessary, and he clenched his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut in an effort to block out the pain.

"In my line of work," Long Feng went on, "I've learned a great many things."

Intending to glare at the Grand Secretariat, Lu Ten opened his eyes in time to see the bearded agent bend a secret tunnel from under the water.

"One of the most important ones," Long Feng concluded, "is that we make our own destinies."

The bearded agent had rejoined the other now, and together they dragged Lu Ten toward the mouth of the underground passageway. The Firebender stared at it, then at the surface of the lake.

 _Underground again_ , he thought. _ **And**_ _underwater_. Instinctively, his eyes flickered upward for one last look at the sky. At the sun.

And then he was in the tunnel, in the dark, with the entrance sealed up so not even a sliver of light could enter, and Lu Ten, despite all his military training, his faith in Agni, and the fact that he'd been resigned to death not too long ago, suddenly felt afraid.

Behind him, Long Feng's voice drifted through the dark.

"Welcome to Lake Laogai."

o0O0o

The Firebender was stripped of his armor, leaving him in a simple brown undershirt and pants. Then they placed him in one of the holding cells, his hands chained to the wall with just enough slack that he could rest them on the floor. They didn't bother restraining his legs - it was obvious that any movement on their part was agonizing enough that the man wouldn't try anything. Their work done, they left the scowling prisoner in the dark and made their way down the hall, heading out of Lake Laogai's detention sector.

"Well," Long Feng said as they walked. "This has been quite an interesting day."

"What should we do with the armor?" Delun asked, and Long Feng noticed how the man was closely studying the metalwork he was carrying. Probably relishing the chance to see the enemy's uniform up close, and also probably comparing it to designs from earlier periods. Most of the Dai Li had an appreciation for history, but Delun was a bit more obsessed than most. He wasn't the Head of the Preservation Branch for nothing.

"Unless you can think of anything better to do with it, you can keep it," Long Feng said. Delun nodded, looking pleased. They reached the end of the hallway, coming out into one of the larger main ones. A brown-haired woman carrying a stack of scrolls walked by, and Long Feng gestured to her. She turned to face him, smiling widely.

"How may I be of assistance, Grand Secretariat?"

"Joo Dee, is Shirong in his office?"

"No, Grand Secretariat. Director Shirong left for the city a few hours ago."

"Of course he did," Long Feng sighed. "Did he say where he was going?"

"No, he did not."

Long Feng sighed again. "Thank you, Joo Dee."

"It is my honor to serve the Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se," she answered, bowing before heading on her way. Long Feng and his agents continued down the hallway, toward the train tunnel that led straight back to the city for easy transport to and from Lake Laogai. The men on conductor duty asked no questions as the Dai Li entered the train car, and within seconds they were moving down the tunnel, toward the palace.

"Delun," Long Feng said as they moved along, "once we're back in the city, I want you to find Shirong and tell him to meet me in my office immediately. Brief him on the situation. You're dismissed afterward." At Delun's nod, he turned to the other agent. "Enlai, I want you to find a healer to take care of our guest's legs. One of the palace physicians will do. Make sure they don't remember anything, of course." The palace physicians had been reconditioned a long time ago. It was easy to persuade them that certain things never happened. "Come to my office when you're finished with that. We have some things that must be discussed."

"Yes, sir," Enlai nodded, though he looked irked at the idea of healing the Firebender.

"So," Delun said, looking over one of the Firebender's boots in the dim light. There were a few glowstones on the walls of the train car, but they weren't very bright. "Can I ask why we're keeping him alive, exactly?"

"You know why," Long Feng answered, causing Delun to look up at him curiously. "That winter solstice party," Long Feng added. Delun stared at him for a few moments before groaning.

"Oh, Spirits," the historian grumbled. "Don't tell me..."

"We might as well try it."

Delun sighed, shook his head, and fell silent. Enlai wondered what on earth his superiors were talking about, but neither of them was inclined to say anything more.

Before long, the train stopped, and they were under the palace. One of the conductors announced, "We've arrived, sir."

"Thank you," Long Feng said, standing up and exiting the car. His companions followed, and they headed toward the stone stairways that led up to the palace proper. Once they were on the ground floor level, Delun broke away from the other two, heading toward the ostrich horse stables to get a carriage. He had a man to find, and he had a good idea of where his target might be.

o0O0o

Shirong was sitting at a table in Ba Sing Se University's library, hunched over several scrolls and quietly taking notes on their contents. He was in full Dai Li uniform, which put the students on edge, causing them to send terrified glances his way and move cautiously so they wouldn't draw attention to themselves.

It was annoying, really, that they hadn't gotten used to him by now. He'd only been coming to the library for the past three decades. Ever since his days as a student, way back in that prehistoric era when the Dai Li had been little more than museum keepers. Before Long Feng had started implementing his schemes for the government, and the two of them had just been a pair of schoolboys focused on passing their courses.

The library was a vast resource of knowledge, and whenever Shirong needed information it was his first stop. He used it often enough that he'd unofficially staked out his own territory in it. The table he was sitting at was widely regarded as his, and he knew for a fact that no one else ever used it for fear that he'd enter while they did. Being a Dai Li Agent had its perks.

So there he sat, copying information from the scrolls onto a pad of paper, minding his own business and enjoying the opportunity to get away from the Joo Dees and other agents and his duties as Head of the Reeducation Branch at Lake Laogai to just do some research.

And then a shadow fell over his table.

Shirong stared at it for a moment before closing his eyes and sighing. "Can this wait?"

"No," Delun answered, "it can't. The Grand Secretariat wishes to speak with you immediately."

Shirong sighed again and gathered his notes. "Of course he does," he said. Delun leaned over the table and looked at the scrolls.

"Chin the Conqueror?" he asked, lightly touching the parchment.

"Mm-hmm," Shirong replied, getting up from his seat and tucking his notes into a robe pocket. "Accounts from the Battle of Taku."

"You _do_ know I can tell you anything you'd like to know about that, right?"

"Of course, Delun," Shirong answered as they walked towards the library's exit, leaving the scrolls on the table for the librarians to put away. "However, I'd much rather read the eyewitness accounts first."

"Quite understandable," the historian said, smiling smugly. "Might I ask what you're researching for?"

"Just a project of mine," Shirong shrugged. "Nothing terribly important."

"I hope you don't plan on spending much time on it, then," Delun said as they walked out of the library and into the university's main courtyard. "Something tells me you won't have any time for personal projects for a while."

Shirong felt one of his eyebrows rise. "Oh? Might I ask what this is about, or is it classified?"

"I'm allowed to brief you," Delun answered. "Let's get in the carriage first." They headed toward the university's main gate, where a carriage waited for them. Once they were settled inside and the driver had the ostrich horse trotting down the street, Delun started to explain. "Long story short, there's a Fire Nation prisoner at Lake Laogai."

Shirong stared at him for a moment, waiting for the punchline. Delun stared right back.

"Spirits," Shirong groaned when he realized the other man was being completely serious. "You aren't kidding, are you?"

"No. I'm not."

"Then you'd better make the short story longer," Shirong prompted, settling back in his seat.

"When How's troops made that attack on the Firebenders, there was a survivor."

"How in Hu-Tu's name did _that_ happen?"

Delun shrugged. "How didn't have any use for him, so Long Feng took him off the general's hands. He's at Lake Laogai now. Long Feng wants him alive and in good health - he even sent for a healer."

" _Why_?"

Delun hesitated. "You remember that party this past winter solstice?"

"How could I forget?" Shirong snorted. "I've never seen Tuan that drunk."

"Right. And do you remember that conversation he started about your reconditioning techniques and abilities?"

Shirong stared dumbly at the other agent. "Oh, no..."

"It probably has something to do with that," Delun nodded.

"Spirits," Shirong groaned. "Don't tell me the idiot actually wants to _try it_."

"That does seem to be the idea," Delun said, ignoring Shirong's tone. Had it been anyone else, he would have warned them not to talk about the Grand Secretariat that way. Shirong, however, had known the man since they were scarcely teenagers, so he could get away with saying such things.

Delun may have been Long Feng's closest thing to a right-hand man, but Shirong had been his friend first.

"A _Firebender_?" Shirong asked.

"Yes."

"Fantastic."

"To be fair," Delun pointed out, " _you're_ the one who claimed he could recondition _anyone_. Even foreigners."

Shirong stared out the carriage window. "A Firebender," he repeated, shaking his head.

Fifteen minutes later, they were finally at the palace. Shirong got out of the carriage, but Delun didn't.

"Not coming?" Shirong asked. Delun waved his hand in dismissal.

"My job's done now that I've found you. And I'm rather eager to get home - I have a new set of armor I'm looking forward to studying." He proudly pulled a red chest plate out from under his seat.

"Ah," said Shirong, quite used to Delun's obsession with artifacts. "Well, enjoy that."

"I will," Delun answered. The driver urged the ostrich horse onward, and Shirong turned toward the palace.

o0O0o

He stood outside the door to Long Feng's office for a good five minutes before opening it. Long Feng probably knew he was there, but Shirong didn't care. He needed the time to steel himself. This was going to be a very _strange_ conversation.

When he finally entered the office, he found Long Feng sitting at his desk by the fireplace, looking over a report.

"So I hear you've decided to take that drunken bet seriously," Shirong said in greeting, walking up to the desk.

"The only thing drunken about it was Tuan," Long Feng answered, eyes fixed on the paper. "Everyone else was perfectly lucid."

"Lucid doesn't necessarily mean sober," Shirong reminded him. "We'd all been into the wine."

"Yes, but we could also remember the night's events in the morning," Long Feng said, looking up at his friend. " _Especially_ what you said."

Shirong grimaced.

"You claimed that you could recondition anyone," Long Feng went on. "That you could make them believe _anything_. And that you'd happily prove it, given the chance."

"It was a hypothetical conversation and we'd all been drinking," Shirong protested. "I didn't actually mean to act on it."

"We also didn't have a way _to_ act on it," Long Feng said. "And now that we do, don't try to act like you aren't interested. I know you love a challenge."

"I'm far too busy to devote time to some ridiculous side project."

"Doing what? Re-re-reconditioning Joo Dees?"

"In case you've forgotten," Shirong snipped, "there are nine farming families who saw the Outer Wall when it blew, and a tenth that was completely wiped out by the blast. There are over a hundred people in need of heavy reconditioning, my agents are trying to provide them with adequate stories for why their neighbors have disappeared and some of their crops are ruined, and then there are the _other_ farmers who we evacuated before the Fire Nation's push forward. I already have quite a bit of work to do."

"You have subordinates," Long Feng pointed out. "Many of them."

"I'm not leaving them to do all the work."

Long Feng snorted. "You've trained those men so well that those families will be taken care of within the month, and you know it. I'm sure you'll have _plenty_ of time to work on this 'ridiculous side project'." Long Feng leaned forward over the desk. "Come Shirong, I know how you get about this sort of thing. You _know_ you want to at least try it."

Shirong didn't deny it.

"You could think of it as a vacation," Long Feng added.

"Right," Shirong said dryly. "Taking a vacation from reconditioning Joo Dees and civilians to recondition a Firebender."

"In your case, that _does_ qualify as a vacation," Long Feng snorted. "Especially considering how much you enjoy your experiments."

Shirong sighed and dropped into a stone chair he pulled out of the floor. There was really no point in trying to get out of this, and they both knew it.

"You said you could, in theory, recondition a foreigner to think they were of a different nationality," Long Feng said. "I've brought you a foreigner."

"You've brought me a _Firebender_."

"Same thing."

Shirong groaned. "Reconditioning a Firebender to think he's from anywhere _but_ the Fire Nation will not be easy." Grumbling, he added, "I was assuming I'd be working with a non-bender."

"Think of it as a testament to your skills if you succeed, then. You _did_ say you could turn even the staunchest Fire Nation soldier into an avid supporter of the Earth Kingdom." Long Feng smiled to himself. "And this one is _quite_ loyal to his cause."

"You don't say."

"You should have heard the speech he gave me," Long Feng chuckled. "He kept going on about power and destiny and the Fire Nation's divine right to rule the world."

"So he honestly believes that manifest destiny nonsense?"

"He said something about how fire consumes everything and changing its nature was impossible," Long Feng said.

That was probably another reason why Long Feng was so intent on this experiment. Of _course_ he'd take a Fire soldier's nationalistic babble as a challenge. Shirong let his gaze slide over to the green fire flickering in the fireplace. Long Feng had started keeping chalcanthite crystals on the hearth long ago, to make the flames burn green and turn the enemy's element into something a little more patriotic.

"So when should I begin?" Shirong asked.

"Whenever you like," Long Feng answered. "I'll have the word spread to the others. I'm sure they'll all be _very_ interested."

Shirong considered that. "Do you think Tuan remembers that he bet a thousand jin on my theoretical success?"

"Tuan was plastered. I doubt he remembers much of anything."

o0O0o

Lu Ten yelped as the healer set his legs in splints, forcing the broken bones back in place. The man didn't seem to notice his cries, humming and smiling as he did his job. Through the pain, Lu Ten absently noted that there was something _wrong_ about this healer and his disturbingly cheerful attitude.

Leaning against the wall at the far side of the cell was the younger, beardless Dai Li agent, watching the proceedings with an intense gaze, as though he hoped the Firebender would spontaneously combust if he stared hard enough. It was strangely reminiscent of Uncle Ozai. Lu Ten didn't know whether to laugh or feel homesick.

He wound up shrieking as the healer finished with the first leg. "Mother of Agni - !"

"Oh, there now," the healer said cheerily. "Calm down and we'll finish this fast." He was still smiling brightly as he moved on to the second leg. He was still smiling brightly as he took hold of the limb and straightened it out. And then his patient, unable to handle the pain anymore and reacting impulsively, shot a jet of fire out of his hands, and the smile dropped off the healer's face as the flames passed harmlessly over his shoulder.

"Wait... Firebending?" the man said, looking rather confused, even as the Dai Li agent straightened from his position against the wall.

The next instant, Lu Ten found those damn rock gloves had pinned his hands to the ground, completely enclosing them so bending wasn't a viable option. He looked up to see the agent approaching, looking furious.

The healer was still trying to make sense of things. "A Firebender..."

"Dong," the agent intoned, "the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai."

What happened next was _definitely_ not natural, and Lu Ten watched in utter bewilderment as all traces of confusion were wiped from the healer's face.

"I am honored to accept his invitation," he murmured.

"Continue working," the agent ordered, and then he leaned over to glare at Lu Ten. "Any more bending from you," he hissed, "and I can promise that your legs will be the least of your worries." He held the prisoner's gaze for a moment before taking a few steps back, standing behind the healer and watching him finish the job. Lu Ten flinched as his leg was jostled, but he didn't cry out. Instead, he focused all his attention on the healer, studying the man's disturbingly cheerful manner and obliviousness as he went about his business.

There was something very wrong here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Enlai gets what's coming to him, Lu Ten and Shirong get into a staring contest, and Dai Li Director Tuan gets irritated.
> 
> Some random notes on the creation of this chapter, since I always like behind-the-scenes stuff:
> 
> Shirong is actually one of THE oldest OCs created for this fic. He was pretty much part of this story from the very beginning. So was Enlai. (There are two other OCs who were created right at the start, but they won't be seen until a few years have passed in story time.) It's good to have Shirong finally make his debut.
> 
> Also, this chapter marks the beginning of the development of the Dai Li in general. Delun's history obsession, Tuan's embarrassing night of drunkenness, Shirong's workaholic habits...all details that I had tons of fun coming up with. And there's a lot more on the way...


	5. Chapter 4: Enlai Gets a Promotion

**Chapter 4 - Enlai Gets A Promotion**

"You've been working hard all day, Dong," Enlai said to the healer. It wasn't a lie - Dong _had_ been busy taking care of the Firebender. He just didn't need to know that. "But you know how the days can be. You're so busy, you can't remember _what_ you've accomplished, and it always looks like you got absolutely nothing done."

Dong nodded in listless agreement, taking in every word the agent said. They were standing in the medical wing, where the man had been when Enlai had come for him several hours earlier.

"It's nearly twilight," Enlai added, glancing out the window. "You should be getting home. Thank you for coming to Lake Laogai, Dong. I hope you enjoyed your stay." It was a two-part code phrase, the invitation and the thank you. Everything that happened in between the two phrases was forgotten, save for any ideas implanted in the subconscious, and the subject could go back to their life none the wiser.

The second part was only ever used on normal civilians. Joo Dees didn't have actual lives to go back _to_.

"Thank you, sir," Dong murmured, the cloud beginning to lift from his mind. "It was an honor. I had a wonderful visit..."

Enlai slipped away before the man fully regained his mental processes, heading toward Long Feng's office so he could give his report.

Maybe he'd even get to learn why they were keeping the Firebender alive.

Their prisoner was back at Lake Laogai, chained in his cell with his legs set in splints and well on his way to a speedy recovery. He'd heal fast enough - Earth folk knew a thing or two about bone. Why on earth Long Feng _wanted_ to keep the man alive, though, was beyond Enlai. He supposed there was good reason for it, but none that he could think of. None that made sense, anyway.

Interrogating the man was an option, but that was more of a job for the army. Even when the Dai Li had caught Fire Nation spies in the city, they'd handed them over to the Council of Five. That was how it worked. The Dai Li took care of things inside the city, and the Council of Five took care of things outside.

Enlai wasn't about to question his superior's orders, though. The last thing he needed was his carefully-built reputation to fall to pieces just because he asked a few questions. He'd already taken a huge risk with the Fire Nation spy, Lee.

There'd been quite a few Fire spies in the city throughout the Siege. It was hard to get an entire army into the city, but not to sneak a few people inside to gather information. Everyone in the Dai Li knew that if you found one, you took them prisoner. So when Enlai had discovered Lee half-dead from a stab wound in the Crystal Catacombs and had, instead of handing him over, helped him out and then _let him go_ in exchange for information that might never come...he could very well have been accused of committing treason.

At the same time, he'd also maybe possibly helped bring an end to the Siege. And he'd _definitely_ gotten his superiors' attention.

Despite the benefits, though, it wasn't a risk he _ever_ wanted to take again. Hopefully it would pay off for him personally, and not just the city as a whole.

Enlai had been working very, very hard over the past seven years to build up his reputation in the Dai Li. He was known as a diligent, reliable, loyal agent who followed orders without question. He was liked and respected by his peers...or, at least, most of them. And it was _very_ well known that he was more than willing to make personal sacrifices for the good of Ba Sing Se. Now he could probably add "savior of Ba Sing Se" to his résumé.

His ultimate goal was a transfer to the Investigations Branch. Chasing down the black market and the Underground was bound to be _much_ more interesting than patrolling peaceful Upper Ring streets. Enlai had been happy with his position in Surveillance at first, but after a few years it had lost its charm. He was tired of giving directions to rich dimwits, he was tired of being dragged in to deal with inane "emergencies" - the spiderfly-in-the-haiku-club incident came to mind - he was tired of dealing with certain idiot coworkers, and he was tired of writing out and handing in reports that said the same basic thing. _Nothing ever happened_ in the Upper Ring.

And as awful as his job was, it had gotten worse since his old partner, Mu, retired a month ago. Crazy as the older agent was, Mu had kept him grounded. They were different as night and day, but somewhere between Enlai's youthful ambition and Mu's aged calmness, they'd found a balance.

Then Mu had gone and retired at what was probably the worst time possible. The Dai Li were short on recruits, there were already a number of agents without partners and districts that were short staffed, and the Fire Nation was pounding up against the Outer Wall. But Mu was stubborn as an ox-mule and determined to retire, and seeing as he'd been working for the Dai Li for fifty-five years, no one was going to tell him he couldn't.

Some people had even actually been happy to see him go. There was only so much rambling about The Good Old Days some agents could take. But with Mu's absence, Enlai was finding it harder and harder to care about District 87. He was more than ready for a transfer.

Halfway to Long Feng's office, Enlai passed Director Shirong, who was heading the other way. The Head of Reeducation paused in his steps, and Enlai politely followed suit, turning to face his superior.

"Agent Enlai Tong?" Director Shirong asked.

"Sir."

Director Shirong eyed Enlai for several long seconds, looking him up and down with a critical gaze. Enlai stood very still and focused on not fidgeting. This was normal, he told himself. All the agents who worked in the Reeducation Branch had a habit of just _staring_ at you. They were extraordinarily good at reading people...and Enlai felt just a _little_ nervous when he thought of that, because whatever Director Shirong saw in him, the younger agent really, _really_ hoped it was worthwhile.

Finally, the director nodded to himself, and Enlai had no way to tell just what the man's conclusion was. "Huo's mentioned you," Director Shirong said.

"Has he, sir?" Enlai asked. Agent Huo Bai was one of Director Shirong's closest friends and most trusted subordinates. Enlai wasn't close to the man, but they were acquainted.

"He says you're a hard worker," Director Shirong said. "And exceedingly loyal to the Dai Li."

"He'd be right, sir," Enlai answered.

"Yes," Director Shirong said thoughtfully, "Huo usually is."

First chance he got, Enlai was going to pin Huo to the wall and demand to know just _what_ he had told the director. The way Director Shirong was talking, he made it sound like hard work and loyalty were _bad_ things. Though Enlai was pretty sure he was just overanalyzing Shirong's tone. _Reeducation Branch_ , he reminded himself. _They can be a little weird sometimes_.

"Well then," Director Shirong said, gesturing back down the hallway. "Long Feng's waiting for you." He continued on his way, heading toward the tunnels that led back to the Lake. Enlai watched him for a moment before heading down the hall.

Long Feng was reading a paper when Enlai entered the office. "According to the latest reports, the Fire Army is taking their defeat quite poorly. Coupled with the loss of their prince, it's dealt a very heavy blow to their morale." He looked up at Enlai. "You've done very well for yourself, Agent."

"Everything I've done, I've done for the good of the city," Enlai answered. "Sir."

"Indeed," Long Feng said. "And in light of your loyalty to Ba Sing Se, I've decided you need a transfer to somewhere where your talents will be of much more service to the city."

Enlai felt his heart skip a beat. Transfer? _Now_? Not that he would complain about it - oh, no - but, it was just - it was _fast_. He hadn't really thought much about how things would work out after they'd pushed back the Fire Nation - there hadn't been time - but he certainly hadn't been expecting instant gratification from it. He'd figured he'd just get another good note added to his record, and then he'd...keep up the good work...and wait for that transfer...

Oh, Spirits, who was he kidding? He'd just helped save the _entire city_. If that wasn't good reason for an instant transfer to Investigations, he didn't know _what_ was -

"How would you like to be my personal aide?" Long Feng asked, and Enlai's train of thought came to a dramatic, screeching halt.

"...Sir?" _Surely_ he'd heard wrong. Landing a position as the Grand Secretariat's personal aide? It was far, _far_ more than Enlai was sure he could accomplish.

"There are things that I cannot trust to Joo Dee," Long Feng said, "and I would not pick just any agent for a job like this."

"With all due respect, sir," Enlai said carefully, "I _am_ just a surveillance agent..." It wasn't that he wanted to press his luck - he just wanted to _know_.

"A surveillance agent with a very impressive file," Long Feng said, picking up a folder from his desk and leafing through its contents. "You're a talented Earthbender, you've kept your district well-guarded for the past seven years, and your peers all think very highly of you, in particular your retired partner, Agent Mu Li. Also," Long Feng added, pulling a single sheet of paper from the folder, "as far as I'm concerned, you proved your unquestionable loyalty to Ba Sing Se six years ago." He fixed Enlai with a steady gaze. "It takes no small amount of strength to turn in your own brother."

Enlai took a deep breath. "Junjie was plotting to overthrow the order of Ba Sing Se. It was my duty to stop him."

"It was," Long Feng agreed. "And you carried out your duty admirably." He closed the folder and placed it back on the desk. "Feel free to take your time in considering my offer. Should you choose to decline, I'd be more than willing to arrange a transfer to Investigations, if you like."

Enlai stared at the Grand Secretariat, still in shock. He had just been offered a position he'd never dreamed of - a position that practically guaranteed him a place in Long Feng's inner circle. It was higher up than he'd ever thought he'd climb.

It was an opportunity he definitely wouldn't waste.

"That won't be necessary, sir," Enlai said. "I accept."

o0O0o

Lu Ten was tired of being in the dark. He was also tired of being in pain and surrounded by rock. And, even though it'd only been a few hours so far, he was already tired of being chained to the wall.

On the plus side, he was sitting in a more comfortable position than he'd been back in the air pocket, and the chains were long enough that he had plenty of slack. His legs had also been taken care of, albeit painfully, and were on their way to recovery, though that fact had brought forth some disturbing implications.

They were healing him. They were healing a prisoner of war. And the wounds weren't even life-threatening - that, at least, would have made sense. Dead prisoners were useless. But to heal injuries that wouldn't kill him...

It made about as much sense as the Grand Secretariat ordering a general to hand a prisoner of war over to the domestic security forces. By this point, Lu Ten was quite willing to believe that the Earth Kingdom was absolutely insane and made no sense whatsoever.

Actually, that went a long way toward explaining why they hadn't given up after _a hundred years of fighting_ and accepted the Fire Nation's superiority.

And then there had been that healer, the way he'd acted when the agent had invited him to Lake Laogai...it wasn't natural. And weren't they already _at_ Lake Laogai? Why would he have to be invited here? There was just something _wrong_ with that whole interaction...

But at least his legs were being healed. Lu Ten would have looked at them, but it was dark and his hands were stuck so he couldn't bend. All he could tell was that they _hurt_. But if they were healing him, they were going to keep him alive, and _that_ meant that there was a chance for escape, or rescue. A slim one, but still a chance.

He knew better than to get his hopes up, but he was willing to jump at any chance of getting out of this mess alive. If there was any hope of getting back to the army at all, any chance of seeing his father again, any chance of seeing _sunlight_ , he'd take it. His father would surely lead another attack soon, take the Agrarian Zone and starve the city.

Only...if there was a food shortage, prisoners would probably be the last people to be fed. Which meant he'd probably die of starvation before anything else. And rescue was highly unlikely. No one knew he was here. No one knew he was _alive_...

Oh, hell.

It was terrifying and aggravating all at the same time. Everyone thought he was dead, but he _wasn't_ , and there was absolutely no way to tell them that. They wouldn't even get a notice from the Earth Kingdom, because the Earth Kingdom didn't know who he _was_.

Part of him wished he'd just died in that pit. Everything would be so much simpler that way.

He _really_ missed his father.

Lu Ten sighed and slumped back against the wall, feeling the hard stone against his back. There was nothing to do but wait. For what, only the spirits knew.

After a while, the door opened, and a Dai Li agent entered. In one hand he carried a tray, while the other held a large crystal that gave off a soft green glow. The man took a few paces into the cell, stopped a few feet before the prince, and proceeded to stare down at him.

Lu Ten stared right back.

This went on for a very long time, thus allowing Lu Ten to get a good look at the man. It was no one he recognized, and while the prince was grateful it wasn't that younger agent who openly hated him, he wasn't sure what to make of the newcomer. The agent's expression was unreadable as he gazed at the Firebender. Lu Ten took in the man's features - the chiseled face, the long mustache, the hard eyes (rather common in the Dai Li, he noticed) - and silently committed them to memory.

They continued to stare at each other.

Lu Ten wondered if all Earth Kingdom citizens were this... _steadfast_. It made sense, he supposed, as the country itself had been decidedly hard to conquer over the last hundred years, but he hadn't exactly had time to analyze its people's character traits while he was besieging the city or burning down villages. Still, in the past day or so, he'd had plenty of opportunity to see Earthbenders' personalities, and they all had a similar streak. Long Feng had had an air of resoluteness about him, General How had seemed firm, and the other two Dai Li agents had been absolutely unyielding - in terms of holding on to both their captive and their facial expressions. And now this man was...still staring at him, his expression unreadable.

Lu Ten kept staring back. It wasn't like he had anything else to do. He wondered if the agent had anywhere better to be, or if he just didn't have a life to waste.

A minute later, Lu Ten was willing to bet on the latter. Why on earth _anyone_ felt a need to stare at anyone else this long was beyond him.

Finally, the agent lifted his eyes ceilingward, as though searching for some sort of divine guidance. When none came forth, he sighed, stepped forward, and placed the tray on the ground within Lu Ten's reach. The prince was treated to the sight of a small meal, and his stomach growled loudly at the sight. He wondered how long it'd been since he'd last eaten. Not since breakfast before the charge, and that was at least a day ago now...

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to actually _reach_ the food, because that other agent who'd brought the healer in had left the rock gloves over his hands, effectively pinning them to the floor. Lu Ten was _not_ about to ask the agent currently standing before him to kindly take the rock cuffs off, so he settled for glaring at the floor. The new agent, meanwhile, had resumed staring at him, and thus it wasn't long before he noticed the problem. He looked confusedly at the stone restraints for a moment before quietly bending them away, pulling the rocks into the hand that wasn't holding the glowing gem. He idly squeezed the stones, watching the Firebender carefully move his hands from where they'd been fastened to the ground. Lu Ten rubbed his wrists, wondering how much longer the agent was going to stand there. He'd really rather not have to eat while being watched by this man. Something about the way the agent was staring at him made him feel like an animal in the palace zoo.

The agent kept staring at him, and the prince stared right back. Finally, the agent lifted his gaze ceilingward once more.

"Great Hu-Tu," he grumbled, and then he turned around and left the cell. Lu Ten stared after him curiously for a moment before reaching out for the tray.

The bread tasted different than he was used to - different grain, he supposed - and the slop that he thought might be porridge had no taste at all, but the water was fresh, and hunger really was the best sauce. He'd had worse things to eat during the campaign, anyway.

o0O0o

The letter was innocently sitting on Director Tuan's desk when he entered his office that morning. The Head of Surveillance had opened it immediately, expecting nothing terribly important - maybe a question from Yong, Head of Investigations, regarding the recent activities in certain districts, or at least an invitation to someone's party.

He was _not_ expecting the loss of one of his agents.

_Director Tuan,_

_This letter regards the transference of Agent Enlai Tong, District 87, Upper Ring. He is being transferred to a position as my personal aide, effective immediately. I trust you have no qualms with this, and that Agent Enlai's former position will be filled quickly._

_Long Feng_

_Head of the Dai Li_

_Grand Secretariat of Ba Sing Se_

Tuan stared stupidly at the letter, wondering how something so short could complicate his life so much.

He'd lost Enlai. He'd lost Enlai to _Long Feng_ , who wanted him as a personal aide for some reason or other, which was probably somehow related to the fact that Enlai had secured the information that had only a few days ago saved the city. Not to mention that now, as Long Feng's personal aide, Enlai was suddenly Tuan's equal instead of his subordinate - but before the Head of Surveillance could process all the reasons and meanings and whys and wherefores and consequences and everything else about Agent Enlai's situation, he was thinking about his own.

District 87 had no agents.

Enlai had been working solo for the past few months, ever since his partner Mu had retired. The old agent had been working with the Dai Li since long before Long Feng had taken over. Frankly, it was about time he'd stopped. Tuan had meant to find a suitable replacement for him sooner, preferably before Mu had even left, but there was a conspicuous shortage of recruits these days.

Tuan blamed the Siege. There was no war in Ba Sing Se, but that didn't mean the rumors didn't run rampant about the war _outside_ it. And any available Earthbenders, when presented with a choice of how to serve their country, usually chose the army over domestic security.

After two years of scarcely any new recruits, the Dai Li had been stretched rather thin, and so finding a replacement for Mu had been impossible. Tuan hadn't minded much. Nothing ever happened in the Upper Ring, anyway. Agent Enlai had been more than capable of handling his district on his own.

But now there were _absolutely no agents_ in District 87, and that was unacceptable.

Tuan stared at the letter without really seeing it, mind racing as he tried to think of any possible replacements. It didn't matter who got the job, as long as someone had it. Half the time the mere _presence_ of a Dai Li Agent was enough to cut down on illegal activities in a district - they didn't even need to be experienced or a master Earthbender. If word got out that District 87 was agentless, though...well. It'd become the newest hot spot for the Underground or the black market before you could say "Avatar Kyoshi".

So Tuan ran through his mental list of everyone who could take Enlai's old job. When he realized there was no one, he wondered if he could temporarily divide District 87 into sections and add the new territory to the neighboring districts. Though he'd really rather not force the other agents in the area to take on more ground to cover and civilians to monitor...

Tuan's thought processes, however, were interrupted by the absolute last two of his subordinates who he wanted to see. Ever.

"Good morning boss!"

The office door was slammed open to reveal a pair of grinning agents.

"Oh, Hu-Tu," Tuan groaned, collapsing forward onto his desk. "What do you two want?"

"Just coming in from our nighttime patrol to report yet another night of peace, quiet, and order down in dear old District 54!" the first agent said happily as his partner stepped forward and cheerfully dropped their report onto Tuan's desk. "No thieves, no drugs, no black market dealers..."

"...no Undergrounders, no lost children, no murderers..."

"...though Huang here _was_ nearly killed by a crazed pygmy puma, but it calmed down after we realized it was just after the jerky he had in his pocket and fed it..."

Tuan sighed. "Great. Fantastic. Can you two leave my office now?"

"Hear that, Huang? He wants us to leave. How are we supposed to take care of our district citizens if _we_ don't feel like we're being taken care of by our superiors?"

"Wu Sheng," Tuan growled, "I would be much obliged if you did me the favor of shutting up."

Wu Sheng looked affronted. "You're just proving my point, boss."

"Ugh," Tuan answered, and he went back to staring at the letter, steadily ignoring his subordinates. Wu Sheng and Huang exchanged glances.

"So," Huang said, idly sitting on Tuan's desk. "Anything new in the wonderfully boring world of Administration?"

"I just lost an agent," Tuan growled. "And he was working solo in the Upper Ring, and now that district's agentless."

Wu Sheng frowned. "Who'd we lose?"

"Agent Enlai. District 87."

"What? Old Mu's partner? Y'know, Spiderfly-in-the-Haiku-Club guy?"

"Yep. That one."

"How'd we lose him? Did he die? _No one_ dies on patrol in the Upper Ring..."

"He didn't die," Tuan sighed. "Long Feng's appointed him as his personal aide."

There was a very long pause as the other two agents digested that information.

"What'd he have to do to get _that_ position?" Wu Sheng asked at length.

"Get us extremely important information that was instrumental in ending the Siege."

"Siege isn't over yet, boss."

"I'm told it might as well be," Tuan said. "The point is, I need a replacement." He cast a sidelong look at his subordinates. "Would one of you like a transfer?"

" _What_?" Wu Sheng yelped.

"Director Tuan!" Huang exclaimed, theatrically clutching his chest. "I thought you knew us better than that!"

"Lower Ring District 54 is _ours_ ," Wu Sheng said. "And _nothing_ , short of Hu-Tu herself, would ever make us abandon it."

"Or the people in it," Huang added.

"Or the people in it," Wu Sheng nodded, pounding Tuan's desk with a fist.

"Guess not, then," Tuan sighed. He took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. "Where am I gonna find an agent to take on District 87...?"

Wu Sheng and Huang exchanged glances. "Well..." Huang started. "You _could_ use Shan..."

It took Tuan a moment to place the name. "That kid you picked up off the street?"

"We told you, he isn't a street rat!" Wu Sheng said. "He comes from a respectable Middle Ring family!"

"And happens to like hanging out on the street," Huang added. "Anyway. He's a talented Earthbender, he's smart, he's fast..."

"We've trained him very well," Wu Sheng said.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Tuan grumbled.

"He's got a good few years of training under his hat," Wu Sheng went on, "and I'd be more than willing to trust him with the safety of a district. One in the Upper Ring, at least. I'm not so sure he could handle the Lower Ring all on his own...not yet, at any rate."

Tuan idly tapped his fingers on his wooden desk - what wood he could see hiding beneath all the paperwork, anyway. He told himself he should get Joo Dee in here to tidy everything up, but...then he wouldn't know where everything _was_. "Just how good of a bender is he?"

Huang shrugged. "He keeps up with us pretty easy when we play earthball."

Which, Tuan knew from experience, was no mean feat. Even if you were on the _same team_ as Huang and Wu Sheng.

"Alright," he said. "Have your little protégé meet me here in a few hours. If he's as great as you two make him out to be, he can have District 87."

They grinned jauntily. "Can do, boss," Wu Sheng said.

"I need to get these to Quy," Tuan added to himself, shuffling through some papers. He semi-organized them into a sizable stack before picking them up and hurrying to the door. Once there, he paused and turned around to add, "Just because you two are occasionally helpful doesn't mean I'm obligated to tolerate your shenanigans." And then he left.

Wu Sheng grinned at the empty doorframe. "Poor Director Tuan," he sighed. "He just can't bring himself to admit that he loves us. And that without us this entire branch would fall apart."

"Indeed," Huang nodded.

"And it seems little Enlai's gotten himself a nice big promotion," Wu Sheng added. "How very odd."

"Well, you know what they say about scum rising to the top."

"Hmm. Then how come all the scumbags we've arrested over the years never got anywhere higher than a state prison?"

"There's a difference between scum and sludge."

"Good point."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Agent Shan gets a rude wake-up call, Shirong does his best to get Lu Ten's life story, and Lu Ten does his best to NOT give Shirong his life story.
> 
> Annnnd we get to meet a few more OCs. Hope you find them enjoyable; if not right away, then as time goes on.
> 
> Fun fact: Huang and Wu Sheng entered my head in pretty much the same way they entered Tuan's office. Once they'd barged in, they just refused to leave.


	6. Q&A

**GG Chapter 5 - Q &A**

Shan Cui had been having a pleasant dream involving purple rabbiroos and his mother's pig-chicken and lemon soup.

Then someone started shaking him.

"Kid? Kid! C'mon, Shan, wake up!"

Shan panicked briefly, jerking himself into consciousness. Oh, spirits, did he oversleep? If he was late for training -

No, wait.

Wait.

There was something off here. If only he could remember what...

 _Think, Shan,_ he ordered himself, squinting at the glowstone someone was holding in his face. _Think_.

Yesterday had been Yin-Earthday. Which made today Yang-Fireday.

Today was his _day off_.

"Shan?" Wu Sheng asked, making sure to shine the glowstone directly in the younger agent's eyes. "You awake?"

Shan growled at his assailant and hunkered down in his bed, pulling the covers tight around him. "Go 'way."

"I'm serious, Shan. Up. Now."

That was preposterous, Shan thought, eyes tightly shut. Wu Sheng was _never_ serious.

Wu Sheng started peeling away the blankets, and Shan growled again and held them tighter. "Go _away_. I'm _sleeping_." He should've just gone home for the night, instead of crashing in his room at the lake. No one would wake him up early back at home...

"Want me to get a pitcher of cold water?" Huang's voice asked brightly.

"Yeah," Wu Sheng said. "That might do it..."

"It's my day off!" Shan protested, cracking an eye open. Huang and Wu Sheng were _known_ for dumping water on people, and he was in no mood for an early-morning shower. "I don't have to go to training today; I can _sleep in_!" He should have just gone back home and spent the night with his parents in the Middle Ring, far away from where his crazy co-workers could reach him...

"Oh, good, you're awake," Wu Sheng said, and he started yanking the covers off. "C'mon kid, up and at 'em..."

"Didn't you hear me? It's my day off!"

"We heard you," Huang said, rummaging through Shan's closet.

"Then _why_ are you - Wu Sheng, let go of me!"

"I _would_ if you'd get out of bed on your own," Wu Sheng said, dragging Shan to his feet. Huang tossed his partner one of Shan's uniforms, and Wu Sheng shoved it at the disgruntled agent. "C'mon, get dressed! You don't want to be late!"

"Late for _what_?"

"Director Tuan wants to talk with you!" Huang beamed.

"About what?"

"Oh, something about there being an opening in District 87 and you having enough training to take on the job..."

Shan's eyes boggled. "Why didn't you idiots _say so_?"

"More fun this way," Wu Sheng answered.

Shan rolled his eyes as he tore off his sleeping clothes. "You two are impossible, you know that?"

"So we've been told."

Shan pulled his uniform over his head. "This isn't some joke, right? Because if you two are dragging me out of bed for some stupid prank - "

"We wouldn't joke about this," Huang insisted, handing Shan a comb. "There's really an opening. Tuan needs it filled as soon as possible."

"Am I getting a partner out of this?" Shan asked as he wrestled with a knot of hair.

"Nope," Huang shook his head. "Enlai was working it alone. Only now he's gone, and Tuan wants someone in the district as soon as possible. And that's where you come in!"

"Enlai?" Shan repeated, finishing with the comb and pulling his hair back so he could braid it.

"Enlai Tong," Wu Sheng said. "You know, haiku club? Rescued a bunch of teenage girls from a spiderfly?"

"Oh," said Shan, picturing the cold, quiet agent who was only a few years older than him. "Um...how'd he die?"

"He _didn't_. He just got promoted. Apparently he's Long Feng's personal aide now."

"Which is funny, 'cause I thought he was just aiming for Investigations," Huang said. "Heck, I'm surprised he didn't get transferred there sooner. You know how Director Yong is with grabbing all the good agents for himself..."

Shan tied the end of his braid with the traditional Dai Li hair-tie and tossed it over his shoulder. He set his feet firmly on the stone floor and _pulled_ with his bending, fashioning himself a pair of rock boots. "When does Director Tuan want to see me?"

Huang shrugged. "Soon."

" _How_ soon?"

"Sooner than later."

"You know how we've told you that Director Tuan is, in a word, _frazzled_?" Wu Sheng asked. At Shan's nod, he continued, " _He_ probably doesn't know when he wants to see you. So let's just get there and figure it out as we go along, alright?"

"...Can we grab breakfast first?"

Wu Sheng tossed him an egg roll. "There. Breakfast. Let's go!"

"How long has this been in your pocket?" Shan asked as they ushered him out the door.

"Only since ten minutes ago."

Shan sighed and bit into the roll. "My mother is making rice noodles and fish soup for breakfast right now..."

"That's nice," Huang said, tossing Shan's hat onto his head. "Maybe next time you have a day off you should go back home and have breakfast there, hmm?"

Shan rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Maybe."

o0O0o

"I am Dai Li Director Shirong Zongzheng."

The Firebender eyed him warily, and Shirong considered the young man; thought of all the possibilities he represented. He'd make a nice... _something_ , Shirong was sure.

He just didn't know _what_ , yet.

Well. Maybe inspiration would come with questioning.

"Who are you?" he asked.

The Firebender was silent, gaze suddenly dropping off to the side. Shirong frowned. "You and I are going to be spending quite a bit of time together in the coming weeks," he said. "I would very much like to know what I should call you."

The Firebender said nothing, eyes fixed on the floor. Shirong sighed and looked at the loaf of bread in his hands. Background information was important. It let him know what – _who_ \- he was getting into. It let him know what sort of things to expect in a person's head; information he shouldn't tamper with.

Ba Sing Se citizens had all their information on file, readily available to any agent who needed it. The Firebender didn't. Shirong needed to get that information, preferably without having to use an interrogation trance. He'd rather not have to rip the Firebender's mind open without knowing what he was getting into.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way," he warned. "Cooperate, and you'll get breakfast. Refuse, and things will be...much less pleasant."

"...Jouin," the Firebender said at last. "Jouin of the Green Sand Clan."

"Jouin," Shirong repeated, and he tore a bit of bread off the loaf and tossed it at him. The Firebender looked skeptically from the bread on the floor to the agent, and Shirong continued, "Where are you from?"

The Firebender – Jouin - picked up the bit of bread and looked it over. Shirong smiled grimly. _You're hungry. I can tell._ Hunger was good. Hunger was _useful_. "Where are you from?"

"Waiki."

Shirong had never heard of it. "Is that an island?"

"...Yeah."

"Where?"

"About fifty miles southeast of the capital."

Shirong nodded and tossed him another bit of bread.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Jouin growled. Shirong could have snorted. It was well known that he never kidded.

"I don't see what the problem is," Shirong said, jotting the Firebender's name and home down in his notebook. "They're simple questions with simple answers. I'm sure you'll get your entire breakfast easily. How old are you?"

Jouin took his time chewing before providing an answer. "Twenty-one. Almost."

"Almost?" Shirong asked, and the Firebender grimaced.

"Fifth day of the fourth month," he mumbled, and Shirong blinked.

 _That's...not very far away._ A month from yesterday, actually. Today was the sixth. He threw another bit of bread at Jouin before making a note on the birthday. _I'll want to keep that. Less mental resistance that way._ "What are your parents' names?"

"Aki," the boy sighed. "And Nai'a."

Shirong could have smiled at how easily the answers were coming now. Likely the prisoner thought this was just a warm-up, and was only answering so things could stay easy for him as long as possible. He was probably planning on clamming up once they got to what he thought were the important questions.

 _Boy, these_ _ **are**_ _the important questions._ "Any siblings?"

"...No."

Shirong noticed the hesitation, and withheld the bread he'd been about to throw. "No?"

Jouin frowned up at him. "...Do cousins count?" he asked warily.

 _Ugh. Extended family._ "Of course they do. Tell me about them."

The Firebender blew a stray strand of hair out of his face. "Zuzu's ten and likes animals and playing with knives. Zuli's eight and hates dolls and being wrong. Put them together and you get the most annoying team of rugrats on the equator."

Shirong smiled grimly as he handed over the bread. _Decided to have fun with this, have you?_ "And their parents?"

"Uncle Zai is my father's brother...Aunt Ursa is his wife."

"You're close to them?"

o0O0o

"Why do you _care_?" Lu Ten burst out. He'd expected an interrogation. He'd expected torture.

He _hadn't_ expected a strained yet leisurely chat about his family life over bread.

The man named Shirong Zongzheng merely stared at him, and Lu Ten had to resist the urge to fidget.

The first few questions had been easy. He'd answered just as Jouin would have, rather than make things up as he went along. He knew enough about Jouin's life to keep it straight. But now things were getting mixed up. He couldn't remember Jouin's birthday, and so had given his own. Jouin _did_ have a sister and several deceased brothers, but Lu Ten, being an only child himself, had decided to keep that lie simple. But Shirong had pressed the issue, and he'd decided to bring in Zuko and Azula, and then Uncle Ozai, and he hadn't been able to think of a nickname for Aunt Ursa in time, and he was hungry and tired and his legs _really hurt_ …

And something told him he'd have to be able to repeat this story later. His interrogator was taking notes.

"As I said," Shirong said at last, "you and I are going to be spending a good deal of time together."

"What does that _mean_?"

"Whatever you want it to," Shirong answered primly. "Tell me about your aunt and uncle."

Lu Ten considered the merits of clamming up, but his stomach growled and Shirong was still holding the bread. He sighed and closed his eyes. "We all live together, so yeah, we're pretty close." Shirong looked expectant, and Lu Ten wondered how much information was too much. "My aunt's been like a mother to me..."

"More so than your own mother?"

Oh, _hell_. "My mother's dead."

Shirong eyed him. "You didn't mention that."

"You didn't ask."

"Then I shall have to be more specific," Shirong mused, and Lu Ten felt his heart sink.

o0O0o

Shirong sat in his office and carefully organized his notes on the Firebender. It had been an interesting conversation, he reflected, even if Jouin hadn't been happy about it. He'd gotten a good amount of information, at least.

 _Father is alive, mother's been dead since he was born_ , Shirong thought, writing out the family information. _Was practically raised by aunt. Has two cousins, sees them as siblings..._ He was going to have to construct something similar to this setup for the Firebender's new life story. The less major changes there were, the easier the boy's mind would accept them.

The door suddenly opened, and Shirong glanced up to see his most trusted subordinate enter. "Good morning, Huo."

"My son's birthday party is in six days. Fen says if you forget, you're getting fruit cake this winter solstice."

"Kindly remind your wife that I've never forgotten Lee's birthday," Shirong sighed.

"Just giving you fair warning, sir," Huo said.

"Much appreciated," Shirong said, gathering up his notes and depositing them in a drawer.

"What're those?"

"Classified."

Huo nodded and didn't say anything more on the subject. Dai Li agents knew better than to stick their noses where other agents said they didn't belong. "We're making progress with the farmer families who saw the Wall go. They've been quite cooperative."

"Good," Shirong nodded.

"Except for the Qiangs," Huo added. "But you know how Qiangs are."

"Stubborn as cassowary-mules," Shirong said.

"We should be able to get them back out within the month, though," Huo said. "Might need to leave some other citizens in holding cells a few extra weeks, but the farmers take priority. Especially seeing as it's growing season..."

"Mm-hmm," Shirong agreed, getting to his feet. "Have you had lunch yet?"

"Not yet."

"In that case, we can discuss this farmer mess in the mess hall."

"Let's stop by my room first, then," Huo suggested. "My wife handed me a box of sweet rolls when I left the house this morning."

Shirong smiled at the thought of Fen's cooking. "Do the others know?"

"Would there be any left if they did?"

Shirong chuckled. He wondered, briefly, if he should get something for the Firebender, but decided against it. He'd had dinner yesterday and breakfast this morning, and food deprivation was a good way to soften up a prisoner. He'd feed him again tomorrow.

Water, however, was something he shouldn't wait for. He'd have to make sure the Firebender had some. And…Shirong wondered if he could get ahold of some poppy powder. Jouin's legs were in splints, yes, but Shirong had gotten a good look at the damage during his interrogation. There was no way that the boy _wasn't_ in an incredible amount of pain.

o0O0o

The sun peaked up over the horizon, and Lu Ten's eyes cracked open. Even down here, below the earth and below the water, he could still feel the sun. He stared into the darkness for a long, long time, tracking Agni's passage across the sky.

Then his stomach growled, and he sighed and closed his eyes. He hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast yesterday. And breakfast yesterday had been far less than ideal. Random questioning sessions focusing on his home life aside, a single loaf of bread just couldn't provide enough energy for a hungry Firebender.

Which was probably why that was all he'd gotten.

On the plus side, he had water, though it tasted funny. Bitter. Also, his legs didn't hurt so much anymore, and part of his mind insisted that the two facts had something to do with each other. He was too tired to think about the implications of giving a prisoner painkillers, though.

He wondered if he'd be fed again today, or if they'd just let him starve -

And then the door opened and Shirong walked in, loaf of bread in one hand and glowing crystal in another. The latter was affixed to the wall, and then Shirong idly broke off a piece of bread.

"Tell me more about Waiki."

"Good morning to you, too," Lu Ten grunted, and Shirong paused.

"You can tell it's morning?"

...Whoops.

He kept quiet, and Shirong eyed him curiously. "Of course," the Dai Li murmured after a moment, eyes flickering upward. "The sun..." He pulled out that little notebook and jotted something down in it. "So," he said. "How long until you completely lose that connection?"

Lu Ten feigned confusion, and Shirong snorted.

"Come, boy. We _know_ what you do to our people when you capture them. And there are tales of how to imprison a Waterbender."

Lu Ten said nothing. Shirong considered him.

"Earth is substance," he murmured. "Strong. Stubborn. Take us from our element, and it will still be months - years, even - before we fully erode. Water is change. Adaptability. They'd hold for as long as they could before evaporating - weeks, I suppose. Months, even. But Fire..."

"We can't lose our fire," Lu Ten said quietly. "We carry it inside us." Glancing up at Shirong, lying through his teeth, he said, "You can't separate us from our element."

Shirong smiled grimly. "The only people that was ever true of would be the Airbenders," he said. "Freedom. The only way to separate them from their element was if they were _dead_." He fixed Lu Ten with a look. "I suppose your people knew that, though."

Lu Ten was silent.

"So," Shirong continued. "If you can only lose Air when you're dead, if it takes years for a boulder to erode, and if it takes months for a pond to evaporate..." He leaned forward. "How long does it take to snuff out a flame?"

o0O0o

On that second day of interrogation, Shirong discovered that Jouin could sing.

He'd left the Firebender alone for a few hours so he could get himself some lunch and check on his subordinates. The reconditioning of the farming families was going smoothly, with the exception of the Qiangs, as Huo had warned. It was to be expected, though - the many branches of the Qiang family were famous for their steadfast stubbornness. If they saw the Outer Wall go up in a giant explosion of fire and rubble, then that was exactly what had happened. They weren't necessarily _rebellious_ against the Dai Li - they were just very hard-headed.

The reconditioning would get through to them, though. Eventually.

He'd been walking down the hallway back toward the Firebender's cell when he heard it - a slow, melancholy melody sung by a tired voice. He paused outside the door, hand poised over the handle, and listened to the little words; falling leaves and shells in waves and soldier boys coming home. A lullaby, maybe, if it weren't so sad. Shirong pulled out his notebook and jotted down the words.

They might just be worth keeping.

o0O0o

Lu Ten was lonely.

He was lying against the cell wall, as usual, tired and hungry and wondering when Shirong would show up. Shirong brought food, and light - not fire, but at least it was light - and...well. Shirong was someone to _talk_ to. Shirong was the only human contact he'd had in _days_.

As much as he hated the man and his questions, he hated being alone even more.

o0O0o

"Do you have any friends?"

Lu Ten still had no idea why Shirong was asking about any of this. Surely the personal details about a random footsoldier wouldn't be very useful in the Earth Kingdom's war effort.

"Of course I have friends," he said. "You know, real friends. Not people who I keep chained to a wall while I interrogate them about their personal lives."

Shirong ignored the jibe. "Tell me about them."

Lu Ten sighed. "I've known Kenta since I was six. Min Lee's his cousin; I met her about a year later." He didn't bother changing their names. It wasn't like the Earth Kingdom kept track of every Fire Nation island's ruling family, and neither of his friends were important or famous enough to have gotten much attention.

And he didn't want to keep coming up with different names, because his mind was already full of all the other lies he'd told.

"Tell me about them," Shirong repeated, and Lu Ten drew a blank.

"They're…well, they're…" Where did he start describing his two best friends in the whole world? "They're very good at climbing trees."

Shirong gave him an odd look. Lu Ten ignored it, because he suddenly found himself really, _really_ missing Kohimori Island's coffee forest. Kenta and Min Lee had taught him how to climb trees there, on their home island. He'd become pretty good at it, too. But he'd never been as good as Kenta and Min Lee were. They could scale the tree trunks effortlessly and run through the canopy without any fear of falling the hundred feet or so to the forest floor below. It was amazing to watch them leaping from branch to branch. Almost looked like they were flying.

Lu Ten had always been slower than them. More cautious. But they hadn't minded, and they'd still let him climb with them, even though he'd always slowed them down. They'd spend entire afternoons in the canopy of the coffee forest, traversing the treetops and feasting on coffee cherries until the sun set.

"And what else are they good at, besides climbing trees?" Shirong asked, interrupting Lu Ten's thoughts.

 _Lots of things_ , Lu Ten thought. They made coffee - _good_ coffee, coffee that even _he_ would drink. Kenta was superb at riding, whether he was on a mongoose-dragon or a Komodo rhino. Min Lee could see auras, and sometimes ghosts. And they were both really good at dealing with small children, since Min Lee had six younger sisters. They'd even given Lu Ten some tips on how to handle his own cousins, back when Zuko and Azula had started walking and talking and generally being adorable little pains in the rear.

But he didn't really want to _tell_ Shirong all of that. His fabricated life story was hard enough to keep track of as it was. He needed to keep this simple.

"Kenta's a Firebender," he shrugged. "He's pretty good at sparring."

"And Min Lee?"

"Nonbender."

"Hm," said Shirong, jotting something down in his notebook.

Lu Ten let his mind wander while the man wrote. He wondered what his friends were doing right now.

With a jolt, he realized that Min Lee didn't even know he was dead - well, missing - yet. It took fifteen days for a messenger hawk to reach the Fire Nation capital from Ba Sing Se. It'd scarcely been five days since the failed attack.

Kenta would know by now, though. Kenta was stationed at one of the southern camps the Fire Nation had erected around Ba Sing Se. Kenta would have heard almost immediately.

He hoped Kenta was okay. He hoped Min Lee would be alright.

And he hoped that a miracle would occur and he'd get the chance to go _home_.

o0O0o

When Shirong wasn't there, Lu Ten found ways to distract himself. He went through the life story he'd made up over and over again, making sure he had it memorized. He made up other parts of it, too, so he'd have answers ready if Shirong asked. He wasn't sure what sort of things Shirong would ask about, so he came up with all sorts of things, just so he'd have the bases covered.

And when he got tired of that, he'd sing.

o0O0o

The next song Shirong heard from the Firebender was...well. He wasn't entirely sure _what_ it was. Aside from maybe pointless.

"Five hundred sixteen pots of tea on the wall, five hundred sixteen pots of tea. Take one down, pass it around, five hundred fifteen pots of tea on the wall..."

 _Spirits_ , Shirong thought, staring at the cell door. _He's gone insane_.

He opened the door, and the Firebender stared at him dully.

"I started at one thousand," he informed him, as though it mattered.

"I see," Shirong said. After a moment, he asked, "Tea?"

"I haven't had a decent cup of tea in _six days_."

Shirong did the math. It was the tenth. The Firebender had been captured six days ago, on the fourth, after a night spent underground. The last time he would have had the chance to have a cup of tea would have been on the third.

 _Seven_ days ago.

Shirong smiled to himself.

o0O0o

Shirong left again after some time, and Lu Ten shuddered with relief. That had been the most intense questioning yet, and he dreaded the thought of having to go through many more of them. He was weakening, in more ways than one.

He was beginning to lose his grip on the sun. It was to be expected. He was tired. He was hungry. He'd been stuck in the dark under a lake for five days straight, plus the day he spent underground after the failed attack on the Agrarian Zone. So, six days.

At least, he thought it was six days. His internal clock was failing him, too.

He needed sunlight. Badly.

More than that, he was getting worried about how complicated the entire charade had become. His life story had become a patchwork of fact and fiction - general ideas from Jouin's life sealed together with details from his own, and a good bit of stuff he made up on the spot thrown in for good measure. It was complex and confusing, and he was so scared that the lie might be discovered that he repeated the story to himself over and over and over again, memorizing every last scrap of detail he told Shirong. He couldn't afford to screw up; couldn't afford to be discovered.

Sometimes, he wasn't sure that he could quite tell truth from fiction anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: The Dai Li directors have their weekly meeting, Tuan is reminded of an embarrassing night that he can't remember, and bets are placed.
> 
> Anyone who's curious about the weekday names or calendar stuff, feel free to ask questions. I actually went ahead and made a calendar for the Avatarverse while I was writing this story, since I wanted to keep track of the passage of time. It isn't perfect, but it works for my purposes, and I tweak it whenever I figure out how to make something work better.


	7. Chapter 6: The Directors' Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we get to see Long Feng's inner circle in action! Which means...they have a meeting. Yay bureacracy! We've actually already met most of these guys. The only new faces are Quy and Yong.
> 
> Enjoy!

**GG Chapter 6 - The Directors' Meeting**

At the end of every week, on Yin-Waterday, shortly past noon, the highest ranking members of the Dai Li met in Long Feng's office in the Royal Palace. It was a small but significant affair. They discussed the past week's events and the coming week's plans, exchanging information and keeping everyone up to date on what was going on in the separate branches.

There were five Directors in all, one for each branch of the Dai Li. Tuan was Head of Surveillance, which meant he was in charge of basic security for the entire city. A stressful job, to be sure, but nowhere near as complicated as Yong's - as Head of Investigations, he had both a black market system and an entire underground resistance to ferret out. Shirong, as Head of Reeducation, was in charge of keeping the more outspoken citizens quiet and calm and generally happy, whether they wanted to be or not. The Preservation Branch, headed by Delun, had actively maintained the organization's original purpose of protecting Ba Sing Se's cultural heritage by caring for museums and important historical artifacts. And through it all, Quy, Head of Administration, kept the entire organization running smoothly, dealing with the sea of paperwork that was generated by the other branches.

The Directors were Long Feng's inner circle - his most trusted subordinates - and together the five of them kept the entire city of Ba Sing Se running smoothly.

Which was why it was a bit of a shock when Tuan walked into Long Feng's office with Yong that day, to find a _sixth_ person in the room.

Yong took it in stride and nodded politely to the newcomer before heading over to greet Quy, who was already sitting at the low table in the middle of the room. Tuan, however, stood in the doorway, blinking at the man who had been a mere surveillance agent until very recently.

"Tuan," Enlai said, the honorary title of _Director_ conspicuously absent, and the Head of Surveillance wondered just _when_ he'd come to be on a first-name basis with his subordinate.

...Oh, right. Probably right after Enlai was promoted to practically his _equal_.

Well. This was going to take some getting used to.

"Enlai," Tuan answered. Enlai nodded and went back to looking over the papers in his hands, easily dismissing his former boss's presence.

Oh, yes, this was _definitely_ going to take some getting used to. He turned away from Enlai and headed to the table. Yong had already taken a seat on one of the cushions, so Tuan settled in between him and Quy. "Hello Quy."

"Hello, Tuan," the older man said.

For a few moments, there was silence, broken only by a high-pitched buzzing that came from some insect as it flew around the room. Where it had come from, Tuan had no idea, but he amused himself by watching it swoop about. Finally, Long Feng appeared from behind some bookshelves. "Are we all here?"

The door opened to admit Shirong and Delun.

"Ah. Good." The Grand Secretariat went to the head of the table and sat down. Enlai finished with whatever he was looking at and took a seat beside him. "Before we start," Long Feng said when they were all settled, "I am going to take a moment to announce that I've taken on Agent Enlai Tong as my personal aide. I am sure I do not need to explain why."

Oh, no, he certainly didn't. Since procuring the information that had been used to push back the advancing Fire Army, Agent Enlai had gotten the attention of all the directors. Tuan knew that the others all thought quite highly of Enlai, what with the whole saving-the-city thing, but he himself just felt miffed. Enlai had just gotten promoted for _abandoning his post_ and risking his neck and the possibility of capture to get information from a dubious source. Huzzah.

Alright, so he was feeling a little bitter. He was sure he had good reason to.

The only upside to losing his subordinate like this was the disappointed look on Yong's face. Doubtless the Head of Investigations had wanted Enlai's skills for his own branch - just like he wanted every other decently skilled agent Tuan had. He usually got them, too.

 _Not this time, though,_ Tuan thought to himself, being careful not to smirk. It was actually rather easy not to, because that bug - which had previously been content to fly around the ceiling - suddenly decided to come buzz around his ears. Tuan tried to shoo it away toward Yong, but it refused to leave him alone.

"Enlai will be attending these meetings from here on out," Long Feng continued. "And a good many other events, as well. Tuan," he added, causing the Head of Surveillance to look up sharply, "I assume you've found someone to replace Enlai in District 87?"

"Uh, yes," Tuan nodded, still trying to get rid of the bug. "Yes, I have. It's all been taken care of. Shan Cui. Good kid, talented Earthbender, fresh out of training. He's been working the district since Yin-Fireday."

"Fresh out of training?" Quy repeated. "You're sure he'll be able to manage a district on his own?"

"It's the Upper Ring," Tuan said, and with a wave of his hand he finally shooed the buzzing menace to the other side of the table. "Nothing ever happens there."

Enlai rolled his eyes, and then he raised a rock-covered hand and slammed it on the table. The buzzing immediately stopped. Enlai lifted his hand, exposing a crushed spiderfly.

" _Thank you_ ," said Tuan. "Goddess, that was annoying… Anyway, he – Shan, I mean – was recommended to me by Agents Huang Xu and Wu Sheng Shi, so I have full faith in his abilities."

Delun chuckled. "Oh, yes. Anyone recommended by _those_ two _must_ be competent."

"Well," Tuan admitted, "they _do_ have high standards. And a...rigorous training regimen."

o0O0o

"KICK IT KICK IT KICK IT KICK IT KICK IT!"

Shan didn't need Huang's screamed advice to know what to do, but it was reassuring all the same. He made the earth spike under the ball, causing it to fly across the playing field. A moment later, a member of the opposing team had swept the ground out from beneath his feet, but Shan didn't care - he was too busy watching the ball complete its flight and land gracefully in the net. The Investigations agent playing goalie tore his hat off his head and threw it on the ground.

"Yes!" Wu Sheng grinned, earth-skating to Shan's side and offering a hand. Shan took it and clambered back to his feet. "Nine to one! We are _clobbering_ them!"

"As usual," sighed the Investigations agent who'd knocked Shan to the ground.

"Now don't go getting sore, Lee," Wu Sheng chided. "It's just a game of earthball. Say, I wonder if we could get this to an even ten before it's over..."

o0O0o

"Moving on," said Long Feng. "The latest reports from the army indicate that the Fire Nation intends to do nothing more for the time being." He smirked. "The loss of their prince has done wonders to their morale."

"Yes, but will it be cause enough for them to withdraw?" Quy asked.

"I think so," Delun said. "They've been holding the Siege for nearly two years with little effect, which is doubtless a terrible strain on their resources and patience. They managed to break through the Outer Wall, but we pushed them back and are quickly rebuilding the section they broke through. If they want back in, they're going to have to wait to amass enough blasting jelly to do it - which will probably take years, given how long it took them to use the stuff in the first place. That calls for more time, patience, and resources to be spent."

"And when you couple that with the death of a member of the royal family..." Yong said.

"Exactly," Delun nodded. "Armies throughout history have given up for lesser reasons. They would have to be crazy to keep this up for much longer. At this point, it's a matter of _when_ the Fire Nation leaves, not _if_." He paused for a moment, thinking. "Besides, their comet's due to come back in a few years. They may just decide to withdraw and regroup, with the intention of using its power on us later."

Long Feng grimaced. That was a whole other can of weevil-worms. "We have six years to decide how to handle the comet," he reminded them. "Had the Siege actually _worked_ , we would have no time left at all." He cast a quick glance at Enlai, and then looked across the table at Shirong. "While we're on the subject of the Wall being broken, Shirong, I suppose you should give us your report on the farming families."

Shirong sighed. "It's going well, for the most part. We've managed to get four full families back to their land, and we're almost done with a fifth. They believe that any ruined crops are the result of a cattle stampede. There was one family that was completely wiped out when the Fire Nation broke through...we've convinced the others that they were murdered by marauding bandits."

"Marauding bandits?" Tuan repeated.

Shirong sighed. It wasn't too far-fetched of an explanation; the Agrarian Zone did have a few groups of outlaws. "You can't have a fire in a house made of stone, and a sickness that only targeted one family without killing anyone else would be too odd. So, yes, marauding bandits murdered the entire family. And then destroyed the house with their earthbending. Because they're horrible people." He looked at Long Feng. "The side effect of this explanation is that we now have several farming families out for a group of nonexistent-bandits' blood. I'm not sure if this is a good or bad thing."

"I'm sure it isn't a bad thing," Long Feng said. "They'll find a group of bandits to take their anger out on, and the Agrarian Zone will have a few less outlaws."

Shirong nodded. "We should have most of the rest of the families done within two weeks. Most of the subjects have been very cooperative, and are more than willing to let us help them."

"Except?" Long Feng prompted.

Shirong sighed. "The Qiangs."

o0O0o

Huo rubbed his temples and took a deep breath. "Mr. Qiang," he said, keeping his voice polite and slow, "I would greatly appreciate it if you cooperated with me."

"And _I_ would greatly appreciate it if you stopped spouting nonsense, Agent Huo!" Ling Qiang snapped. "I saw what I saw! The entire wall blew up!"

Huo groaned and hid his face in his hands, mumbling to himself about Qiangs and their rock-headedness. The entire family was as steady, strong, and stubborn as the giant wall they lived by.

And he had to convince thirteen of them that they hadn't seen the Outer Wall blow.

It was days like these he was convinced the spirits hated him.

"You did not see the Wall blow up, Mr. Qiang," Huo intoned. He speared the lantern with a look as it circulated around the track, wondering if it was defective. But no, it was glowing merrily, just as it was supposed to.

"But I did. I seen it with my own eyes!"

 _Oh, good,_ Huo thought sarcastically, rubbing his forehead. _And here I was worried you saw it with someone else's eyes..._

"It ain't exactly somethin' you can just _fergit_ ," Ling continued. "Just imagine it, Agent! A great big chunk of the Wall, just goin' BOOM!" He waved his arms for effect. "And all that fire, and the stone crackin', and the rocks rainin' down..." He trailed off there, and looked sad. "I reckon the Bis never knew what hit 'em."

Ah, yes, the Bi family; another bunch famed for sharing all the traits of the wall they lived on. An entire branch had gotten wiped out in the blast.

Except, you know. They didn't.

"The Bis were murdered by marauding bandits, Ling."

Ling's eyes followed the lantern around the track. "Sonny boy, I don't claim to know how that light's s'posed to help me feel better, but it ain't working."

Huo groaned and hid his face in his hands. _It's my son's birthday,_ he thought bleakly. Lee was turning four. Huo had figured a four-year-old wouldn't care if his father wasn't present for his entire birthday. A four-year-old didn't necessarily have a complete grasp of what a birthday was. _I should've just taken Shirong's suggestion - alright, more like an order - and taken the day off. But noooo, I wanted to be a good leader and set an example for my fellow reeducation officers and come in and talk to a man with a rock for a brain._

He could really be a self-sacrificing _idiot_ sometimes.

o0O0o

"They'll be won over with time, of course," Shirong said. "Everyone will. It will just...be a very _long_ time."

o0O0o

The meeting went on for a while longer. Yong spoke about the state of the black market, which hadn't been terribly active, what with the Fire Army blocking most smuggling routes. Tuan reported that there wasn't much going on in Surveillance. Quy made the usual statement that his subordinates in Administration were sick and tired of sorting through the other agents' horrendous handwriting when they were filing paperwork. Delun started to talk about a new display the Preservation Branch was putting together for some museum, and they quickly changed the subject before he could go into much detail.

"Final order of business," Long Feng said at last, sending a significant glance toward Shirong. "But first - we all do remember a certain Dongzhi party this past winter solstice, correct?"

There were groans from around the table.

"Very good, then," Long Feng said, soldiering on. "And I'm sure, then, that we all remember a certain conversation we had concerning reconditioning."

"Not...really," Tuan admitted, looking embarrassed.

"No one expects _you_ to," Yong grumbled. "You were _plastered_."

Enlai looked interested. Tuan sank a little lower in his seat.

"Those of us who can actually _remember_ that conversation can probably recall a certain part of it where we discussed the possibility of reconditioning foreigners," Long Feng continued.

"Wasn't that when Tuan spilled his wine all over your robes, Yong?" Delun asked innocently.

"It was."

"I did what?"

" _I_ remember Shirong saying something about being so skilled he could brainwash a foreigner within a month," Quy put in before the conversation could get too far off track.

"Yes," Long Feng said, latching on to the point. "We've been presented with an opportunity to test that theory."

Delun nodded knowingly. Shirong's face was expressionless. Quy, Yong, and Enlai looked interested. Tuan just looked confused.

"General How's men discovered a surviving Firebender after the Fire Nation's withdrawal from the Agrarian Zone," Long Feng said. "We currently have the man in custody at Lake Laogai."

"Wait," Tuan said, "wait, we have a _Firebender_ under the lake?"

"He's under control," Long Feng answered. "And Shirong has been monitoring him for the past few days."

Yong turned an intrigued look towards Shirong. "Really?" he said, looking very, very interested.

"I've acquired a decent amount of information on his history and lifestyle," Shirong said. "He's been very forthcoming with his answers."

"And how soon do you think you could start the real work?"

Shirong shrugged. "He's tired. He doesn't resist much when I ask him questions. And he'll only get weaker from here." He tapped his fingers on the table. "I could start the reconditioning immediately."

Tuan exploded. "We're _reconditioning_ a _Firebender_?"

"Tuan," Yong sighed, "haven't you been paying attention at _all_?"

"Yes! Yes I have! And none of you are making sense! All I'm understanding is that there was some sort of conversation about brainwashing foreigners at that stupid Dongzhi party..."

"You're the one who _got_ us onto that topic in the first place, Tuan," Quy said, recalling how Tuan had drunkenly thrown an arm around an annoyed Shirong's shoulders and started asking random questions about reconditioning.

"I don't remember anything about the party!" Tuan snapped. "All I remember is waking up at his house" - he pointed an accusing finger at Yong - "with the worst hangover I've ever had in my life!"

"Which is why you wouldn't remember the actual party," Delun said.

Tuan groaned and hid his head in his hands. He hadn't meant to get drunk like that. It had just been an extremely stressful winter. The snow had been piling up. The Siege had been driving everyone crazy. He'd had a nasty headcold that refused to go away. A family of spider-squirrels had taken refuge from the cold in his attic, and their nighttime scampering had left him sleep-deprived. Yong had been eyeing up his subordinates, trying to figure out who he could get to transfer to Investigations. Huang and Wu Sheng had been cavorting through the halls of Lake Laogai singing Dongzhi carols for _weeks_.

Could he be blamed for wanting to drown his sorrows in alcohol for a bit?

And now, three months later, that night was _still_ haunting him. Tuan made a mental note to never drink again.

"So what are we doing with him, exactly?" he asked warily, changing the subject.

"Shirong's going to prove just how skilled he is," Yong answered, looking at Shirong, "aren't you?"

"Oh, yes," said Delun. "What was that you said at the party? 'Give me the most devoted and patriotic Fire Nation soldier you can find, and I'll have him loyal to the Earth King within a month.'"

"Exactly," Shirong nodded. "And I still stand by that."

Tuan resisted the urge to rub his forehead. "Let me get this straight," he said slowly. "You're going to take a Firebender and convince him he's a full-blooded and loyal Earth Kingdom citizen."

Shirong frowned. "Not quite," he said. "It would be stupid to try and convince him he was pure Earth. All he'd have to do is look in a mirror to know there was something wrong with the idea. I was thinking more along the lines of a halfbreed from the colonies. It would explain the eyes, and his subconscious wouldn't rebel so much if I let him keep at least part of his Fire heritage."

"What about the firebending?" Quy asked warily. Shirong shrugged.

"I've dealt with crazed Earth soldiers before. He won't be the first bender whose abilities I've had to restrain."

Quy didn't look convinced. "You've never had to restrain a _Firebender's_ abilities before."

"He's already losing his connection to the sun. Keep him underground for a while, recondition him to hold his bending instincts at bay, make him think he was never a bender in the first place - it shouldn't be too hard." Shirong eyed each of his fellow directors in turn, and then Long Feng, who was watching the entire debate with a quiet air of amusement. "Give me a month, and I'll have him thinking he's one of us. Or half of us, at least."

There was a moment of silence. Yong leaned back in his seat. "I'm willing to bet that you can't."

"You said as much at the party," Shirong nodded. "How much?" When Yong said he was willing to bet, it wasn't just an expression.

"Well," Yong mused, "I suppose Tuan's already set the stakes for us."

"I did?" Tuan asked warily.

"Of course you did," Yong said maliciously. "At the party, you happily announced you'd bet a thousand jin on Shirong's success."

Tuan's jaw dropped. "I said that?"

Yong merely nodded. Tuan turned to the others.

"I _said that_?"

"You said that," Quy sighed.

"Oh, spirits have mercy..."

"A thousand _is_ a bit much, though," Yong admitted. "So. A hundred?"

A hundred jin was nowhere near as much as a thousand, but it was no small amount of money, either. Shirong shrugged. "I'll take it."

"I'll stake a hundred on your failure," Delun said. "I was there when we pulled the Firebender out of the pit. He wasn't very cooperative. If you can convince him he's a loyal citizen of the Earth Kingdom, it'll be _worth_ a hundred to see it done."

"Two against one, then," Yong said, sounding almost cheery. He was always one for risk-taking, be it physically or financially or otherwise. "Anyone else like to join in?"

Quy sighed. "I suppose I'll put in on Shirong's success. I said as much at the blasted party, at any rate."

"You should really join in, too, Tuan," Yong said, eyeing the other man, who was cringing in his seat in an attempt to become invisible. "After all, you said you would..."

"I was drunk!" Tuan protested. They merely favored him with dull looks, and he sighed. "Fine. A hundred on Shirong's success. Dammit all..."

"And I'll wager on Shirong's failure," Long Feng said. Shirong looked surprised, and Long Feng smiled. "As Delun said, if you _can_ do this, it will be worth the hundred jin." Should Shirong succeed, Long Feng would have the pride of having such a skilled agent on hand. Should Shirong fail, he'd have an extra three hundred jin in his pocket.

Shirong snorted and gave Long Feng a look that said, quite plainly, _You and your win-win situations._

"Enlai?" Long Feng added, turning to his aide. "You're welcome to join us, if you wish."

Enlai blinked before shaking his head. "No thank you, sir. I think I'll pass."

Long Feng nodded and turned back to his directors. "Very well, then. Is there anything else?"

There was a moment of silence, and then Yong turned to Shirong. "What are you naming him?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"The Firebender," Yong clarified. "You _are_ going to rename him, correct?"

Shirong thought for a moment. "I suppose I should," he said at length. "Jouin is not a very Earth Kingdom name."

"So what are you - "

"Lee, I suppose."

There was a quiet chorus of groans from around the table. Yong snorted. "You are extremely unoriginal, Shirong."

"Indeed," Delun pointed out. "We already have a few hundred Joo Dees thanks to your lack of creativity..."

"I created the Joo Dees, didn't I?" Shirong grumbled. He failed to see why this was an issue. "And Joo Dees are supposed to be indistinguishable anyway. Lee is a perfectly sensible name."

"There are a million Lees," Yong said.

"Then he'll be one in a million. I have other things to worry about besides his name."

"Now, Shirong," Long Feng said. "You're about to attempt the most daring reconditioning you've done in your entire career. I think your subject deserves a more imaginative name than Lee."

Shirong eyed his old friend. "What do you suggest?"

"I was thinking Xiaofan."

"Xiaofan?"

"Paper, Enlai," Long Feng ordered, and the aide quickly passed him a sheet of paper and an ink-filled brush. Long Feng quickly wrote out two characters in swift strokes before handing the paper to Shirong. "Xiaofan."

Shirong scrutinized the name. "Little...little model?"

"Little _obedient one_ ," Yong said suddenly, and he laughed. "Yes, that is perfect. You ought to name him that, Shirong."

Shirong glanced at the other directors. Quy didn't seem to really care, Tuan looked like he just wanted to get out of the room, and Delun merely shrugged. "It's better than Lee."

"Very well, then," Shirong sighed. He didn't particularly care _what_ the Firebender was named, so long as he could start working on his project. "Xiaofan it is."

"Is there anything else we need to talk about?" Long Feng asked. When no one answered, he nodded. "Meeting adjourned, then."

They stood and stretched and slowly began making their way out of the room. Yong walked with Shirong.

"When do you think you'll begin?"

"Soon," Shirong said. "Now, maybe." There was nothing else for him to do. Except convince a bunch of Qiangs that they hadn't seen the Wall blow up.

Brainwashing a Firebender sounded so much more appealing.

"I would like to see him," Yong said. "I've never seen a Firebender up close before. And I would like to - without getting my face burnt off, that is. Do you think I could come see him at some point?"

Shirong shrugged. "If you like."

"Would you like any help breaking him?" Yong asked then, and Shirong grimaced.

"I'm quite certain I can manage on my own, thank you."

It was Yong's turn to shrug. "Suit yourself." He walked on ahead, making his way toward one of the palace's exits. Probably heading home for the weekend.

Shirong, for his part, headed for a staircase that would lead him down into the tunnels, and from there to Lake Laogai.

o0O0o

He must have reached the Lake just as the earthball games that doubled as training exercises finished, as the hallway was crowded with agents who were alternatively crowing their victory or grumbling about their defeat.

"Ha-HA!" someone shouted, and Shirong saw the infamous Huang and Wu Sheng and another, younger agent hanging out in a side hallway. "Final score: Sixteen to three!" Wu Sheng whooped. "Great job today, guys!"

"I almost feel sorry for the Investigations team," Huang mused.

"Don't," said Wu Sheng. "That was some pretty awesome bending today, Shan."

"Heh. Thanks."

"So, what say next time we try to beat them with an even twenty to nothing?"

"Maybe..."

Shirong walked on. He made his way down the hallways of Lake Laogai, steadfastly ignoring everyone he passed, his mind fixed on the task at hand. He was going to recondition a Firebender. He wanted to get into the right mindset. So he passed fellow agents and Joo Dees with nary a glance, until he nearly ran into Huo.

"Huo?" he asked. "I thought I told you to take the day off. It's Lee's birth - "

"Yes, yes, I know, don't remind me," Huo growled. "I'm going home _right now_ , never mind if it's only a few hours past noon... I am never missing my son's birthday again." He stomped off down the hallway, and shouted over his shoulder, "Just so you know, I told Howin _he_ can handle Ling Qiang's reconditioning!"

"...Right," Shirong said. "Say happy birthday to Lee for me."

"Party's on Yin-Spirit Day," Huo reminded him, and then he turned the corner and was gone.

Shirong sighed and continued towards the Firebender's cell. When he got there, he stood outside the door for several minutes, collecting himself.

He was going to brainwash a Firebender.

It was probably going to be the most amazing achievement - or failure - of his career.

He had three hundred jin riding on his success. And while he could spare the money, he'd rather not lose his pride.

He regarded the door, and thought of the mind ready for molding that lay beyond. And he _could_ mold it. He knew he could. He'd done it thousands of times before, after all.

He reached for the door handle. Time to get to work.

o0O0o

The door opened, and Lu Ten looked up blearily. Shirong stood there, gazing impassively down at him. There was something new in the man's demeanor, Lu Ten thought, but he wasn't sure what.

After a miniature staring contest, Shirong strode forward and hauled the Firebender up by the front of his shirt. Lu Ten yelped in protest, but Shirong paid no heed as he pinned him firmly against the wall. Lu Ten glared at him, not quite surprised at the sudden change in behavior.

Looked like they were finally getting down to the serious stuff.

"The Fire Nation is withdrawing from our lands," Shirong said at length. "They are not making another assault. They are going to abandon the Siege."

"That's a lie," Lu Ten snarled, and got a vicious backhand across the face.

"They are going," Shirong repeated in a low voice, "to abandon the Siege."

The scary thing was that it might actually be true. Lu Ten knew how much effort and resources had gone into blowing up the Wall in the first place. Blasting jelly, soldiers, _time_ …all had been wasted the moment they'd been defeated in the Agrarian Zone. Calling a retreat would be a logical move right now. It would be so much easier to wait a few years and flatten Ba Sing Se with the comet's power.

But neither Iroh nor Azulon wanted to burn the city to the ground. A destroyed Ba Sing Se would be a useless waste. No; they'd prefer to capture it for their own use. Preferably _before_ the comet came, so that they wouldn't be forced to unleash its terrible power on the city.

So Shirong might be telling the truth when he said the Fire Army was retreating. But he also might be lying. For his own sake, Lu Ten decided to believe that Shirong was lying.

His legs were starting to ache. More than usual, that was. Lu Ten closed his eyes and focused on breathing. He felt a hand grasp his chin, and his head was pulled back to face Shirong. He opened his eyes to glower at the Earthbender.

"You're all alone," Shirong said, meeting his gaze steadily. "No one is coming for you. No one will ever _find_ you. Your army has abandoned you. Your nation has abandoned you. Your beloved _leader_ has abandoned you." After another pause, he said quietly, "You have _nothing_."

He stepped back, letting Lu Ten collapse back down to the floor, causing him to hiss in pain as his legs were jarred. Lu Ten fixed the man with the best glare he could muster, but Shirong only looked unimpressed.

"What did you say your name was?" he inquired, sounding almost polite.

"It's Jouin," Lu Ten said, and was taken by surprise when Shirong leaned over, reached forward, fisted a hand in his hair, and _yanked_.

"Let me make something clear to you," Shirong said, ignoring his prisoner's pained noises. "Your name is not Jouin." He tightened his grasp, pulled a little harder, and before Lu Ten could panic over the fact that somehow Shirong knew he'd been lying all along, he said, "Your name is _Xiaofan_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Shirong gets some brainwashing in before attending a very important birthday party.
> 
> In my headcanon, weeks in the Avatarverse are ten days long, with two days named for each element, plus another two for spirit. The two days for each element are divided by yin and yang. So the days of the week are as follows: Yang-Spiritday, Yin-Spiritday, Yang-Earthday, Yin-Earthday, Yang-Fireday, Yin-Fireday, Yang-Airday, Yin-Airday, Yang-Waterday, and Yin-Waterday. Links to my cobbled-together calendar system are in my profile if you're curious.
> 
> The characters used to spell "Xiaofan" literally mean "little" and "model/example," but I've also seen the name translated as "little obedient one." Seeing as an obedient person could be called a role model or a good example, the alternate translation seems pretty reasonable. (And if I or my information is completely wrong about this, I apologize.)


	8. Chapter 7: Birthday Party Interlude!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once upon a time, I'd planned to go straight from the last chapter into the brainwashing chapter. Writing the brainwashing chapter, however, was super creepy and uncomfortable for me. So, to get a break from the creepiness and reaffirm the fact that Shirong is, well, human, I wrote this little interlude. It's fun, it's slice-of-life, it explores the human side of the Dai Li (specifically the Reeducation Branch), and it's framed with some brainwashing, but not much. As a result, Stingrae has come to refer to this chapter as the Birthday Party Sandwich. XD
> 
> As for the brainwashing chapter itself, it wound up being one of the hardest chapters to write, and it took months before I was actually able to embrace the creepiness so that I could get it written. That chapter will be posted next week. In the meantime, please enjoy this final foray into the Dai Li's more human side before we get into just how awful they can be during business hours.

**GG Chapter 7 - Birthday Party Interlude!**

The lantern circled around the track one last time, and Shirong finally brought it to a stop. He took a moment to survey the Firebender bound in the stone chair. Jouin – Xiaofan – the Firebender was glaring at him with haggard eyes. Defiant, but wearily so.

Shirong smiled grimly. He'd made progress over the past two days. Slow, but sure. He hadn't _quite_ torn the Firebender's mind apart, yet, but it wouldn't be too long now.

"That the best you can do?" the Firebender asked, the words coming out in a raspy hiss. Shirong had decided that withholding water would be useful today. "Drag a little light around in circles?"

Shirong said nothing as he fiddled with the lantern. He was using one with a glowstone in it, instead of the customary candle - no point taking stupid risks, after all. He slid the shutter over the lantern, effectively plunging the cell into darkness.

His paused for a moment, letting his eyes adjust to the lack of light and listening to the Firebender's shaky breathing. He smiled again. The Firebender still had some fight in him, but that would change soon. Already, he was dazed and disoriented. And he would become even more so.

Shirong turned around and walked away from the lantern track and the Firebender who was still bound to the chair. As he reached the cell door, the Firebender seemed to realize that he was leaving.

"Hey - " the young man croaked. "Hey, wait - "

Shirong nearly smiled to himself. So the Firebender would rather spend time with his tormentor than be left alone in a dark, cold cell stuck in a chair. Shirong supposed he _would_ be a little desperate for human contact by now, even if the only human available was hypnotizing him into oblivion.

Unfortunately for the Firebender, Shirong was unable to stay at the moment. And besides, a little solitary confinement would probably be good for the project, anyway.

He opened the cell door and stepped outside.

"Wait - !" he heard the Firebender cry, and then Shirong closed the cell door behind him and headed down the hallway.

He went to his office first, where he sat down at his desk and took out the file he was keeping on the Firebender. He made a few notes on his progress, making sure to mention the Firebender's apparent desperation for human contact. Then he placed the file back in its drawer, sliding it under some other folders and papers.

He took the time to go into the small bedroom behind his office, where he changed out of his uniform and into something more casual. Then he left Lake Laogai, intent on reaching a certain house in the Middle Ring by noon.

He had a very important date to keep. And he didn't fancy getting fruitcake for a winter solstice present.

o0O0o

The thing with birthday parties for small children who have not yet had the chance to go to school and make friends with _other_ small children is that most of the party guests tend to be adults.

Lee Bai didn't care, though, because all the guests at his party were his _favorite_ adults.

"UNCLE SHIRONG!"

_WHAM._

Shirong regarded the small boy who was attacking his legs with an amused smile. "Hello, Lee."

"Lee," Huo said, catching up to his son, "kindly detach yourself from your godfather and get back to your mother. She needs to finish brushing your hair."

"My hair's fine," Lee protested. He patted the unbound, shaggy mop on his head, as though making sure it was still there. Huo gave Shirong an exasperated look.

"We haven't been able to make him sit still all _day_..."

"Your hair is a mess," Shirong said, scooping the child up in his arms. "Let's go find your mother."

Lee sighed. "Okay...did you bring me a present?"

Shirong smiled as he followed Huo through the house. "Maybe."

"Is it a toy?"

"Maybe."

"It isn't clothes, is it?" Lee made a face. "I hate clothes."

"Well, that's a pity, young man, because you have to wear them," Huo said.

" _Dad_ , I mean I hate getting clothes for _presents_!" Lee said. "It isn't clothes, is it?"

"Maybe."

Lee was unimpressed. "Uncle _Shirong_!"

Shirong chuckled and marched on, nodding at the people he passed. He knew most of the guests - half of them were his subordinates and Huo's coworkers in the Reeducation Branch. What Lee lacked in friends of his own age, he more than made up for with the number of honorary uncles.

They entered the sitting room, where two women sat - one holding a small, drooling toddler, the other resting her hands and a comb on her noticeably round abdomen. The latter looked up sharply as Shirong approached and set down Lee.

" _There_ you are," she said to her wayward offspring. "Get over here so I can finish with your hair, young man. You look like a Swampbender."

Lee grimaced, but sat down and let his mother do her job.

"Good day, Fen," Shirong said. "Suyin."

"Director Shirong," Suyin smiled.

"How are you, Shirong?" Fen asked as she tugged her son's hair into a topknot. Lee made a big show of wincing, but she dutifully ignored his antics.

"Very well. Yourself?"

"Glad that this party is finally under way," she answered. "Lee's been excited about this for weeks. Haven't you?"

"Yeah!"

"And the enthusiasm seems to be spreading," Fen added. "This little one hasn't been still all morning." She gestured at her stomach.

"Ah, yes," said Shirong. "How's my other godchild?"

"My back's starting to hurt, but at least I still have my sleep," Fen said. "Or I _would_ , if a certain little boy wouldn't come crawling into my bed at unspiritly hours of the morning..."

"Sorry love," Huo said cheerfully. "You know I can't control what time I get home from work. That's my boss's decision."

Shirong snorted, and Fen shot her husband a smirk. Finishing with Lee's hair, she said, "Alright young man, you're done."

"Can I open my presents yet?"

Fen sighed.

"Why don't you go find Gan and play for a while?" Suyin suggested, idly bouncing the toddler on her lap.

Lee frowned. Playing with Gan didn't sound quite so appealing as opening presents. Huo knelt before his son. "Tell you what. We'll go find Gan, and then we'll go find your Uncle Antoan and try to cheer him up. I think I saw him moping in a chair somewhere..."

Lee brightened. "Okay!" And he scampered off with his father. Shirong supposed he should be thankful he wasn't getting dragged along for the ride.

"Poor Antoan," Suyin laughed.

"Oh, he's fine," Fen said. "He likes Lee. Besides, getting attacked by small children every once in a while is good for him. And us."

"Is that so?" Shirong asked.

"Of course. It cheers him up, entertains the boys, and gets the kids out of our hair for a bit. Everyone's happy."

"Sound logic," Suyin nodded, and then she turned her attention to her toddler. "No, sweetheart, don't eat Mommy's necklace..."

"She's grown," Shirong noted. He tried not to let on to the fact that he couldn't remember the toddler's name. It was Cheng-something, he thought. Maybe. Shirong wasn't a stranger to Suyin's family, but he was not as close to them as he was to Huo and Fen and Lee. Suyin's husband Yuan worked in the Dai Li's Administration Branch, though, and Shirong saw him much more than he saw Suyin and their kids.

"She has," Suyin agreed, taking her necklace from her daughter's grip and bouncing her when she began to fuss. Glancing towards the doorway, she added with a grin, "They all have."

Shirong turned and saw Antoan struggling through the doorframe, a small boy clinging to each of his legs. "Seriously, you two need to get _off_!"

"No!" Lee shouted from where he gripped Antoan's right leg. "It's fun!"

"It's only fun until I fall over and you two are trapped under me," Antoan grunted, trying to pry Gan's fingers off his left leg. Gan only giggled and held on tighter.

"You won't fall over, Antoan," Huo grinned from where he stood behind Antoan, not bothering to squeeze past him through the doorway. "You've got much better balance than that."

"And the boys aren't quite _that_ big," Fen added.

"Though they are growing," Suyin sighed. "I can't believe Lee's four already, and in just a few days Gan will be, too..."

"Remember our competition to see who'd go into labor first?"

"I swear I would have won if you hadn't _cheated_."

"Acupressure is a perfectly acceptable way of inducing labor, Suyin."

Suyin grumbled something under her breath, but her eyes held amusement rather than anger.

Meanwhile, Antoan was growing desperate. "Fen, Suyin, _please_ call off your offspring."

"Lee," Fen said, and her son obediently released Antoan's leg.

"Gan," Suyin added, and the other boy followed suit.

"Thank you," the newly-freed agent said, and he took each boy by the hand. "Come on, let's go find Kasem before he eats all the sweet rolls." He didn't mind hanging out with the kids so long as they weren't attaching themselves to him. They left, and Fen and Suyin went back to chattering. Huo caught Shirong's gaze and nodded back towards the kitchen.

The kitchen was less crowded - it was only the two of them, plus Howin, another member of the Reeducation Branch, who was sitting at the table, lost in one of Fen's famous sweet rolls. Huo began rummaging through a cupboard.

"Care for a drink?"

"Just a little," Shirong answered, leaning against the wall.

Huo located a bottle of hua diao jiu - no point breaking out the stronger stuff at a boy's fourth birthday party, after all - and poured out a cup. "Hey, Howin, how about you?"

Howin opened his eyes - which had been closed in bliss thanks to Fen's cooking - and seemed to notice the other two agents for the first time. "Oh! Director Shirong! Good to see you, sir."

"Same to you, Howin."

"Howin," Huo said, holding up the bottle. "Want some?"

"Oh, yes please..."

Huo poured two more cups and handed them out.

"To Lee's long life," Howin said, holding up his drink.

"And to his health," Shirong added. No point in a long life without good health.

"I thank you both," Huo smiled, holding up his own cup. "To my son's good fortune."

They drank. And then Howin fixed Huo with a look.

"You know, I've been meaning to talk to you..."

"Oh, really?" Huo asked innocently, staring into his cup as though he could divine all the secrets of the universe from the amber depths. "About what?"

"You left me all alone to recondition Ling Qiang the other day."

"Oh, yes. Sorry about that."

" _Ling Qiang_ , Huo!"

"Yes, yes, I'm sorry..."

"No you're not," Howin grumbled.

A beat.

"So...did you get him sorted out?"

"It took me six hours, but yes. Yes I did."

"Well, that's good then," Huo said cheerfully. Shirong hid a smile in his cup. Howin glowered just a little.

"Six hours," he repeated. "Straight. And I couldn't even call anyone for backup - everyone else was either busy or off, and Director Shirong was..." He paused. "Where were you, sir?"

He wasn't brainwashing a captive Firebender, that was for sure. "I had business to see to."

Howin shrugged. "Ah. Alright."

"Well, at least it's taken care of," Huo said.

"We still have twelve Qiangs to go!"

"Look on the bright side," Huo said. "After them, the rest of the farming families will be easy!"

Howin grumbled something about all the farming families _already_ being easy. "He kept asking for Tu, too," he added.

"Tu?" Shirong repeated.

"Yeah. You know, Tu Qiang Bi? Partner Fu Jin? Works in Investigations?"

"Ah, yes. Them." Shirong thought a moment. "Aren't they working undercover somewhere?"

"Yep," Howin, managing to put a world of exasperation into that one syllable. "As far as I know, the only person who knows where they actually _are_ is Director Yong. Mr. Ling Qiang was quite pissed when I told him his relative was unavailable." He fixed his boss with a pleading look. "Please don't make me recondition any more Qiangs."

Shirong quietly pitied his subordinate. "I won't make you recondition them _alone_ , how's that?" He shot Huo a look.

"I was reconditioning him alone first," Huo grumbled into his cup.

"Get help next time."

"HELP!" someone shouted, and Kasem burst into the room, holding a sweet bun aloft. He was pursued by a pair of four-year-olds and a smug-looking Antoan.

"Give me!" Lee shouted, jumping for the treat.

"No!"

"C'mon, Kasem," Antoan said.

"Are you kidding? This is the last one!"

"And it's Lee's birthday."

"No, it was Lee's birthday two days ago! And Lee gets to eat his mom's cooking every day! I _don't_!"

"You already ate all the rest!" Gan said, trying to climb up Kasem's leg. It wasn't working.

Lee put on his best puppy-squirrel eyes. "Uncle Kasem, pleeeeeeeease?"

"If you want it so bad, you're going to have to get it from me!" And then Kasem dashed back out the door, bowled over Antoan, and scampered into one of the other rooms. Lee and Gan followed after, shrieking, and Fen and Suyin could be heard shouting at them to not run into people.

"Well," said Howin. "That was interesting."

Antoan picked himself up off the floor. "Sorry about that, Huo."

"Don't worry about it. All I ask is that you make sure they're completely tired out by the end of the day."

Antoan snorted and walked out of the kitchen. "I think _I'm_ going to be completely tired out by the end of the day..."

Huo glanced at Shirong. "Be glad you don't have children."

Shirong was staring at the path Antoan and the boys had taken after Kasem. "Some days I can't help but think that I _do_."

Howin snorted. "So," he said. "What's the plan? Take the Qiangs in pairs? Because you _don't_ want to try reconditioning them alone, trust me."

"Pairs sounds good," Huo said. "If we devote the next few days to just the Qiangs, I think we'll be able to get the entire family done in one fell swoop. The other families can wait a bit, I'm sure."

Shirong nodded. "They can."

"Great," said Howin. "I just want to get these people _done_."

"We can start tomorrow," Huo mused. "There are twelve of them... Antoan and Kasem can work on Shu Qiang first, and Qiao and Chong-Lin can take Mei..." He glanced at Howin. "You want to work on Biyu?"

Howin perked up. "That's the seven-year-old, right?"

"Yes."

" _Thank you_."

Huo looked at Shirong. "And you and I could take Jian...he'll be a tough nut to crack, I'm sure."

Shirong frowned. "Actually, Huo," he said, trying to let his subordinates down gently, "I am not going to be able to help you with this."

"What?" Howin asked. "Why?"

"There's a project I've been asked to see to." His words were chosen for their vagueness and delivered in the tone of voice that had a unanimous meaning among the Dai Li. _It's classified. Drop it._ Every agent had been both on the giving and receiving ends of that tone, and they all knew better than to press once it had been used.

"Alright," Huo nodded, and Shirong felt a slight twinge of guilt. He _should_ be helping his men out...but he only had a month to convince a Firebender that the Earth Kingdom was the best country on the planet. He didn't want to waste any time.

And he had complete faith in his subordinates' abilities. He'd trained them himself, after all.

"I'll work with you then, Howin," Huo decided.

"You just want to work on the seven-year-old, don't you?"

"And once we're done with little Biyu, we can recondition Kang..."

"I don't know if you're letting me do the kids as an apology or if you just want to work on the easy ones yourself."

"Maybe Antoan and Kasem can take Jian...they're pretty tireless, after all..."

"After playing with Lee all day? I don't know..."

o0O0o

It was nearing twilight when Huo and Lee saw Shirong to the door. Most of the guests had left a while ago, but Shirong, being a very close friend of the family, had stayed a little longer. Now, though, it was time for Huo and Fen to get their son to bed.

"What do you say to your godfather, Lee?" Huo prompted as they stood in the foyer.

"Thanks for coming, Uncle Shirong!"

Shirong smiled and scooped up his godson for a hug. "You're very welcome, Lee."

"And thank you for not getting me clothes!" Lee whispered in his ear, though of course it wasn't a very quiet whisper and Shirong found himself slightly deafened as a result.

"You're very welcome. I like books better than clothes, too." Granted, he didn't like adventure books, but Lee was just a kid. Shirong didn't expect him to sit through a dissertation on the workings of the human psyche.

"So," said Huo. "Heading home?"

Shirong shook his head. "Back to the lake."

"That project?"

Shirong nodded.

"Good luck on it," Huo said. "Whatever it is."

"Don't worry about it, Huo," Shirong ordered. "Just don't expect me to be of much help to the rest of you for a month."

Huo nodded. "Alright. See you tomorrow?"

Shirong smiled. "Maybe."

Lee yawned suddenly, and Shirong chuckled. "I think your Uncles Antoan and Kasem wore you out."

"I'm not tired!"

"Of course not," Fen cooed as she entered the foyer, Suyin and her offspring in tow. Fen ruffled her son's hair. "I need to comb this again."

"But _Mom_..."

"You'd better say goodbye to Gan, Lee," Suyin said. "We're heading home, too."

"Would you like me to walk you back?" Huo asked.

"Thanks, but I'm pretty sure I can get two small children across the street and through our front door without too much trouble."

"Not while carrying these leftovers you won't," Fen answered, picking up a basket of dumplings she'd set aside and pushing them at her friend. "I'm sorry we don't have any sweet rolls left; I think Kasem ate them all..."

"Gan and Lee helped, I'm sure," Shirong said. "I'll carry the leftovers for you, Suyin, if you'd like to focus on handling the children."

She smiled at him. "Thank you, Shirong."

He handed Lee off to his father and took the basket from Fen. Huo opened the door to see them out.

Just before stepping outside, Suyin looked to Fen. "So. Gan's party next week?"

"Of course!"

"I've been thinking," Suyin said. "Next year, would you like to do it all at once? Both of their birthdays in one party? I think it would be much easier that way."

Fen blinked. "Suyin, you're a genius."

"No," she laughed. "I'm just practical. Come on, Gan, hold Mommy's hand." She took her son's hand in her own and led him out the door.

"Bye Gan!" Lee waved. "Bye Changchang!"

Gan turned around to wave back. The toddler perched on Suyin's hip looked up at the sound of her name before resting her head on her mother's shoulder.

"Come over for dinner sometime, Shirong," Fen said as he followed Suyin. "We haven't seen you in a while."

"Maybe next month," he said. "I'm going to be a little busy for the next few weeks."

"Just make sure Lee and I don't forget what you look like!" she called after him. Huo shut the door, smiling, and Shirong hurried on to catch up with Suyin and her children.

o0O0o

It was nighttime when Shirong got back to the Lake. He considered going straight to bed, but decided against it. He could spend a few hours working on the Firebender first. Depriving his prisoner of sleep certainly wouldn't hurt.

However, said prisoner was already quite sleep-deprived, judging from the look in his eyes when Shirong reentered the cell. Jouin - Xiaofan - was still bound in his chair, of course - all hunched over and huddled up. Still, despite his obvious exhaustion, the Firebender managed to fix the agent with a bleary-eyed glare.

"I hate you," he announced.

Shirong snorted. "Trust me," he said calmly as he set up the lantern, "the feeling's mutual."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Shirong gets A LOT of brainwashing in, and we say goodbye to Lu Ten as we know him.
> 
> To those of you who may be disappointed that we didn't get much brainwashing in this chapter, please don't worry. The next one will, hopefully, make it up to you. (And if you don't like reading about creepy mental situations, you might just want to skip next week's chapter. Just saying.)


	9. Chapter 8: Breaking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings for psychological creepiness. I don't want to trigger anything in anyone. If you're uncomfortable reading about someone's mind being broken, please skip this chapter. I was really uncomfortable writing it, so I won't blame you.
> 
> Tons of thanks to Stingrae, who listened to me complain countless times about writing this chapter until I finally decided to just let it run wild and be as creepy as it needed to be. And who had to beta it a dozen times afterwards.

**GG Chapter 8 - Breaking**

When Huo told Shirong the good news that morning, a mere two days after Lee's birthday party, the Head of Reeducation was almost unable to believe it. "You're sure?" he asked for what must have been the millionth time, fixing his friend with an incredulous look.

"Absolutely." Huo rolled his eyes. He was getting tired of repeating himself. Shirong pretended not to notice. "The army learned it from one of their spies in the Fire camp, and the news was delivered to the palace last night. General Iroh's _gone_. He handed his command over to one of his underlings, and then he just up and left." With a relieved smile, he added, "The Fire Army's _crushed_."

Shirong dropped his gaze to the cup of green tea that sat on his desk, his mind whirling with the possibilities presented by this newest development. Oh, the political impact would be wonderful, of course. The Fire Nation would surely withdraw completely from the Siege now, and Ba Sing Se would no longer be in imminent danger, and Long Feng might actually get a full night's sleep for the first time in two years. But as for the effect on Shirong's own personal project...well.

Jouin put so very much stock in General Iroh's power and the Fire Nation's destined victory. To hear that his beloved leader had outright _abandoned_ the Siege...it would be devastating to the boy's psyche.

"This is such a relief," Huo sighed, sitting down in a stone chair he pulled up from the floor. "I'll admit I was a little worried for a while. Thought I might have to explain to my wife that we were actually _losing_ the nonexistent war and that the Fire Nation was about to take over the city, but it looks like that conversation won't be happening, thank goddess..."

"Indeed," Shirong murmured, still staring at his tea. How should he break the news to the Firebender? The direct, blunt approach had shock value, but taunting insinuations were _so_ much more fun.

Both, he decided. First the taunting, then the blunt information when the boy didn't want to believe his words. And more taunting after that, just to make sure.

"This is good news," Shirong said, mostly so Huo wouldn't think he was ignoring him. " _Very_ good news."

"In other good news," Huo said, "we're making headway on the Qiangs."

"Ah. Good. How's Howin?"

"Grateful that I'm keeping him to the small, easily-persuaded children. Easily-persuaded for Qiangs, anyway..."

"You owe him."

"Yessir."

"How far have you gotten with the family?"

"We're about halfway done. Another day or two, and they'll be able to return to their farm, and _we'll_ be able to move on to easier subjects." Huo shook his head. "All the places in the Wall the Fire Army could've chosen to blast, and they had to do it somewhere within the Qiang's view. Couldn't they have chosen some area that _wasn't_ inhabited by a family of rockheads?"

Shirong smiled and drained his tea. He considered, briefly, pointing out that at least the Bi family – who were just as stubborn as their Qiang relations – had been wiped out by the blast, thus saving the Reeducation Branch from the torture of reconditioning both Qiangs _and_ Bis. It was a horrible thought to think, though, let alone say. "Of course not, Huo," he said instead, and he stood from his desk.

Huo stood up as well, sinking his stone chair back into the floor. Rooms under Lake Laogai were small, so extra furniture tended to be bent into existence when it was needed and then bent back into the floor when it wasn't. It was an easy way to save space, though it could be a pain for the non-bender agents.

"Suppose I'd better get to work, then," Huo said, heading for the office door. "Don't want Howin accusing me of slacking."

"Mm-hm," Shirong nodded, following his assistant out. "I have work to do myself, so I'd appreciate not being disturbed."

"Of course not, sir," Huo said. He knew better than to interrupt his superior while he was in the middle of a top-secret and potentially delicate project. "I'm sure if anything comes up we'll be able to handle it. Have a good day, sir." And he took off down the hallway, toward the reeducation chambers.

Shirong turned in the opposite direction and began walking toward the Firebender's cell. He had some delusions to crush.

o0O0o

"You're _lying_."

It was, really, the only possible explanation.

Shirong's eyes were bright. "I assure you, I am not."

Lu Ten snarled. "General Iroh would _never_ \- "

"But he has," Shirong said lightly. He circled the chair Lu Ten was bound in, and the Firebender felt the stone restraints around his wrists and ankles shift slightly. Just to remind him they were there. "Your beloved general has abandoned his troops." He came to a stop in front of the Firebender and had the gall to smile. "I'm afraid things aren't looking up for the Fire Nation in this siege. Your army is leaderless, and securely locked outside of the Outer Wall." He eyed Lu Ten. "Except for you, of course."

Lu Ten growled. "You're lying."

"You sound so sure."

"I am."

"Oh?" Shirong looked curious. "And why might that be?"

"Because I know for a fact that there is nothing in this world that would keep General Iroh from conquering your miserable country. _Especially_ this horrid city." Truthfully, Lu Ten had found certain parts of the Earth Kingdom to be rather charming and generally enjoyable, but given his current situation, he wasn't about to start handing out compliments. "He set out to conquer this place, and he _will_. Nothing short of death will stop him."

Lu Ten instantly regretted his words, and he felt a metaphorical knife twist in his gut as he realized the implications of what he'd just said. If the Fire Nation was going to abandon the Siege and if the only thing that would cause his father to quit like that was dying then maybe - maybe his father was - and the way Shirong was just _smiling_ at him _really_ wasn't helping -

"I'm afraid you're wrong," Shirong informed him. "Apparently, aside from dying, there _is_ one other thing that would prevent General Iroh from sallying forth to victory."

Which meant Iroh _wasn't_ dead. Thank Agni.

"Really?" Lu Ten snorted. He knew his father extremely well. He knew that Iroh was one of the most determined men in the world. So long as he drew breath, there was nothing that would keep him from his destiny. And Shirong - aggravating, creepy Shirong - seemed to think he'd discovered something that would.

"Tell me, Xiaofan - "

"It's _Jouin_." _No, it's Lu Ten._

" - what do you think is General Iroh's most prized possession?"

Lu Ten was half-tempted to tell Shirong that it was a tie between a porcelain tea set painted with red fire lilies and gold dragons that had belonged to Fire Lady Ilah and a set of throwing knives that had been Princess Janya's. Instead, he gave the answer Jouin, like a good peasant-turned-loyal-officer, would have given. "The royal headpiece, I suppose."

Shirong snorted. "Close, but not quite. Given recent events, I would suggest that General Iroh's most prized possession is less...inanimate in nature." At Lu Ten's dull look, he added, "I would say it was a person. Someone close to him. Someone else who wore the same sort of headpiece." He gave the Firebender a pointed look. "Someone who, I'm sure you're well aware, is now quite dead."

Lu Ten felt the air get sucked out of him. _Oh, Agni._

He should have known. He _really_ should have known.

His father loved him. His father had always loved him, because he was his son, and because he was all that was left of Princess Janya. Even though his mother had died when he was born, his father had always loved him. And Iroh had always made sure that his son had understood that.

Whatever warmth or affection he might have felt at the thought was instantly quashed by a wave of overwhelming guilt. _Damn. Damn damn damn damn damn -_

Lu Ten wished his father had just felt _anger_ at his death rather than sorrow. An angry General Iroh would have brought Ba Sing Se to the ground in retaliation for his loss. Anger would have led the Fire Nation to victory.

But no. One might _think_ that Iroh would react violently, but deep down, Lu Ten knew better. For all his strength, power, and outwardly stone-cold demeanor, Iroh was extremely sensitive when it came to family.

Of course his father would be crushed by his death. Of course he'd abandon the Siege.

Of _course_.

"You're lying," he whispered again, for form's sake. Shirong leaned forward, his expression bordering on smug.

"You and I both know that I'm not, Xiaofan."

Lu Ten closed his eyes. He didn't have the heart to retort.

o0O0o

"Your name is Xiaofan."

"No. No it's not."

Shirong favored him with a level gaze, and the lantern flashed before his eyes again. "Your name is Xiaofan."

" _No_. It's - it's" - _not Lu Ten, not Lu Ten_ \- "Jouin."

"Your name is Xiaofan."

"Jouin."

"Your name is Xiaofan."

"It's _Jouin_ , dammit!"

Only it wasn't.

o0O0o

His internal clock was completely shot, so it was impossible to know how much time Shirong spent trying to convince him that he was named Xiaofan. All he knew was that Shirong spent a _lot_ of time doing so. He didn't know _why_ , either. All he knew was that Shirong seemed quite determined to make him think his name was Xiaofan, which was stupid. His name wasn't Xiaofan, it was – it was –

_Oh, Agni's flaming_ _**head** _ _–_

It wasn't Xiaofan. He _knew_ it wasn't Xiaofan. It wasn't Xiaofan, it was – it was –

Jouin? No, no, that was wrong. He wasn't Jouin. Jouin was _dead_ , and he wasn't, he was – he was –

Not Xiaofan, not Jouin, his name was – was – it was –

He was scared. He was lost, he was alone, he was stuck in the dark, and he couldn't even remember his _name_ –

Lu Ten!

Right?

Right. It _was_ Lu Ten. He was pretty sure. And…and Shirong wasn't supposed to know that. Which was why he'd said his name was Jouin. Even though it wasn't. And now Shirong was saying it was Xiaofan, which it also wasn't. Because it was Lu Ten. Only Shirong wasn't supposed to know that. So he hadn't told him. He'd lied, and he'd lied a _lot_ , and now…

Now, he was getting tangled in his own web.

o0O0o

It was the name that was the problem, Shirong decided. Try as he might, he couldn't force Xiaofan to accept his new name so long as he still had his old one. And names were inseparable from identities in most cases.

And so, before getting to work on creating Xiaofan, he focused on erasing Jouin. Well, technically he was _suppressing_ Jouin - he couldn't actually _erase_ memories.

But he could lock them away so thoroughly and so deeply in a person's psyche that they might as well have never existed.

o0O0o

"Your name is not Jouin."

At least Shirong wasn't trying to convince him that he was someone he wasn't now.

"Your name is not Jouin."

No, now Shirong was trying to convince him that he wasn't someone he already knew himself not to be. He wasn't Jouin. Jouin was dead.

"Your name is not Jouin."

He could have laughed. He knew _that_.

He just...didn't know what his name actually _was_ anymore.

o0O0o

Along with the name, another important piece of Xiaofan's identity to work on was Xiaofan's status as a bender. Shirong had reconditioned benders before - all Earthbenders, of course. Most of them were Army members who couldn't keep their mouths shut, and those he only reconditioned to keep quiet about wars that didn't exist. Their bending he left alone. Others, however, had gone mad thanks to their time on the battlefield - and _they_ needed their bending skills brainwashed out of them, for the safety of society. The last thing the city needed was an unstable Earthbender collapsing buildings because he was caught up in a flashback. There were Earthbender Joo Dees, too, and they had also had the knowledge of their bending skills pushed back deep into their unconscious, until they couldn't remember how to bend, or even that they could.

So Shirong had reconditioned benders to believe that they weren't benders before, and he was sure that he was capable of repeating the outcome with the Firebender.

Predictably, Xiaofan fought back.

"You are not a Firebender."

Xiaofan was glaring - as usual.

"Your name is Xiaofan."

Xiaofan's hands twitched where they were bound to stone armrests.

"You are not a Firebender."

Xiaofan was inhaling rather deeply.

"Your name is Xiaofan."

Fingers twitched like a dying insect's legs.

"You are not a Fire - "

A shower of half-hearted sparks flew from trembling fingers. Shirong eyed them contemptibly, watched them sputter out of existence. Then he raised his eyes to Xiaofan's.

"You call that firebending?" he snorted.

Xiaofan glared at him and swallowed hard. He opened his mouth, as though to retort, and then he shuddered and looked away. Shirong gave a derisive smirk and leaned forward, forcing Xiaofan to look at him.

"Your name is Xiaofan."

The lantern moved around the track yet again, and Xiaofan's eyes followed it helplessly.

"You are not a Firebender."

o0O0o

After that, Shirong noted, things got...easier. Not _easy_ , but eas _ier_.

For a hypnotist of his skill, easier was all he needed.

o0O0o

Neither of them knew it at the time, but that spark shower was the last time Xiaofan would firebend for years. Shirong was right in his assumptions about brainwashing the bending out of someone. _What_ you could bend didn't matter so much - it was the fact that you _could_ that got locked away.

The only problem, he knew, was that bending wasn't something you could _completely_ lock away forever. Bending was a part of your soul. Your mind might forget it, but your body wouldn't.

Over the years of dealing with Earthbender Joo Dees and deranged soldiers, Shirong had discovered that the best way to handle their latent bending abilities was by keeping them in contact with their element. They may not remember that they _could_ bend, but their spirit was happy simply by being near stone and good earth. Earthbender Joo Dees were exceedingly happy in the caverns of Lake Laogai and Ba Sing Se's Crystal Catacombs. Brainwashed soldiers enjoyed gardening and walking barefoot, even if they didn't know why.

Shirong had suspected that it would also be possible to repress a bender's abilities by keeping them _away_ from their element. Given the reports on the broken-spirited Earthbenders rescued from Fire Nation prison barges, it definitely seemed like a viable option. It was also an option that Shirong had never had the opportunity - or need, or even _heart_ \- to carry out.

He wondered if he could try it out on Xiaofan. See if the Firebender did better as a nonbender when he was kept underground, locked away from the light, or when he was allowed above ground for a dose of sunshine. It would be an interesting experiment, he was sure.

Shirong was also sure that Xiaofan wasn't going to last long enough to allow Shirong the chance to conduct it. Once the reconditioning was through and the bet was won...well. Shirong had a good idea of what Xiaofan's future entailed, and none of the options were particularly pretty. Or long.

o0O0o

The days of reconditioning took their toll, and before long Xiaofan lost his defiance. He no longer retorted at Shirong's words, and he hardly ever glared anymore. These days, he mostly shuddered and flinched and curled up in a protective little ball whenever Shirong appeared to pick his mind further apart.

Usually, Shirong found the Firebender half-asleep on the floor when he entered the cell. He'd wake up while Shirong was dragging him into the chair he'd pulled out of the floor and locking him in place, usually making many frightened noises along the way.

One day, as Shirong was pulling the Firebender up off the floor, the boy whimpered. "Dad?"

Shirong paused.

"Dad?"

Shirong sighed and continued pulling the Firebender over to the chair. That must have been when his prisoner woke up the rest of the way and realized where he was, because he started crying softly.

Shirong held the Firebender up by his shoulders, considering the back of the young man's head while he whimpered. "Easy, Xiaofan," he murmured, pulling him into a sitting position.

"Not Xiaofan," the boy mumbled, trying to curl in on himself. "Not - "

"Yes," Shirong insisted, "you are." He sat his prisoner down in the chair and arranged his arms on the armrests. He got the left one locked in place before the boy panicked.

"No, don't - !"

"Easy," Shirong said, gently taking the boy's other arm and pulling it to the other armrest. The Firebender put up a short fight - he was far too weak to struggle for very long. Shirong didn't even bother with binding his legs - they were still healing, and moving them was painful. He didn't want to risk hurting them further, either. "Easy. This doesn't _have_ to hurt, you know."

Hunched over in the chair, his prisoner whimpered. " _Please_."

"Easy," Shirong said again, pulling the Firebender up so he sat straight against the back of the chair and stroking the boy's hair to keep him calm. "Easy, Xiaofan."

"I _told_ you, I'm not Xiaofan..."

Shirong regarded him. "Then who are you?"

The look on the Firebender's face was so utterly _lost_ , and Shirong felt nothing but grim satisfaction. Well. Looked like he was making good progress with the identity deconstruction.

"I'm...I'm..."

"You're Xiaofan."

"No...no, I'm not..."

"You are only Xiaofan. You have only ever _been_ Xiaofan." He took the boy's chin in his hand, forced the yellow eyes to meet his own directly. "There is no one for you to be _but_ Xiaofan."

"That's...that's not true..."

Shirong smiled grimly. "Is it?" He went about fastening the ring of rocks around the prisoner's head, making sure he could only face forward.

"Just - please, whatever you're doing to me - just _stop_."

Shirong only petted his head before pulling up the track. The Firebender sobbed.

o0O0o

"Your name is Xiaofan."

"I'm not Xiaofan."

But Shirong heard the emptiness behind the words. By this point, the phrase was just a reflex.

Shirong was good at breaking reflexes.

o0O0o

"Your name is Xiaofan."

It wasn't Xiaofan.

"Your name is Xiaofan."

It also wasn't Jouin.

"Your name is Xiaofan."

He was scared to try and remember what it actually _was_ , because they weren't supposed to find out.

"Your name is Xiaofan."

It wasn't Jouin and it couldn't be...whatever it'd been before.

"Your name is Xiaofan."

Xiaofan was as good a name as any.

o0O0o

"How's your project coming along?" Yong asked Shirong on the ninth day.

"Wonderfully," Shirong answered. "My men finished up with the Qiang family two days ago. The Qiangs have been restored to their farm, they're pissed off at the Army for _accidentally ruining half their crops in a training exercise_ \- not to mention a nonexistent band of marauding bandits for murdering the Bis - and my men have finally moved on to work on the families with...less dense mentalities."

Yong was unimpressed. "That's not what I meant."

Shirong gave a pointed glance at the crowded cafeteria they were standing in.

"...Right," Yong said. "Lunch in my office?"

Yong's office was small, like most rooms under the Lake. It was an architectural necessity - smaller rooms and thicker walls meant better support for the massive body of water above them. There were a few larger caverns used for training, but they'd been carefully created and were specially reinforced.

Yong sat down at his desk and started picking at his rice. Shirong followed suit, sitting in a chair he pulled up out of the floor.

"So," Yong said. "That project?"

"It's going smoothly. I've torn him away from his original identity and am now working on implanting his new one."

"Hm. Any interesting developments?"

Shirong snorted. "Not by your standards." Yong was the Head of Investigations. To him, "interesting" entailed action - chases, fights, torturing suspects. Analyzing and remolding the human mind was far from interesting for a man like Yong.

"Really? He's a Firebender. Surely he's thrown flames at you multiple times by now."

"No," Shirong answered. "He's far from the sun and has been for well over a week. I haven't seen him bend so much as a spark in days."

Yong looked disappointed, but that emotion was quickly replaced by curiosity. "So, he's...safe, I suppose you could say?"

Shirong shrugged. "I suppose. Why do you ask?"

Yong tapped his chopsticks against his bowl. "What's the chance I could get a look at him?"

o0O0o

There was a scraping sound as the door opened, and he heard two pairs of footsteps enter. And with them -

The light spilled into his cell, and he inhaled sharply at the unexpected relief. It wasn't the sun, it wasn't warm, but he couldn't bring himself to care because it wasn't _dark_ , either, and he could _feel_ it, and it wasn't circling around in front of him while Shirong's voice droned on about things that he wasn't sure weren't true, and he was more than content to just lay there and let it wash over him.

"Hmm. You've really done a number on him, haven't you Shirong?"

"Yes. It's taken a while, but I'm progressing."

He recognized Shirong's voice, but not the other. He cracked an eye open and instantly squeezed it shut again when he was blinded by the light. Then the light moved so it wasn't shining directly in his face, and he felt someone nudge his side. He opened his eyes again and squinted at the stranger who was peering at him.

"Good morning, sunshine," the agent said, inspecting him with cold eyes, and his first instinct was to _get away_ , because there was something about this man that just _scared_ him. Scared him more than Shirong. At least Shirong actually looked _interested_ when he stared at you.

He saw Shirong standing behind the stranger, holding a glowing crystal. Watching.

"Can he understand me?" the strange agent asked.

"Probably," Shirong shrugged. "Barely."

"Hm," the stranger said. "Enjoying your stay at Lake Laogai?"

He was too weak to answer. He wasn't sure he even _wanted_ to answer. And the stranger didn't seem to be expecting one.

He was prodded a bit more, but he was too tired to care. He closed his eyes and focused on the light instead. And then the stranger idly poked at one of his legs, and he couldn't help the strangled noise in the back of his throat that came with the flash of pain.

"Watch it, Yong," Shirong growled, and the strange agent withdrew. "I need those to heal properly."

"My apologies, Shirong," the stranger - Yong? - answered. "It's just that I'm interested in what makes a Firebender tic."

"Then get your own," Shirong suggested, turning and heading for the door, taking the light with him.

"Easier said than done," Yong scoffed, following after. "Hmm. Do you think I could have him, when you're through with him?"

"...We'll see."

And then the light was gone.

o0O0o

Yong must not have been able to keep quiet about his visit, because the very next day Quy cornered Shirong in the hallway.

"I'd like to see him."

Shirong blinked. "Why?"

"Because I have a hundred jin riding on your success. I think I have a right to see what you're doing."

Shirong sighed. "Very well." He only hoped that this didn't become a regular occurrence. He wasn't a tour guide. "Come on. We'll go to the cafeteria first." He headed down the hallway.

Quy frowned and followed him. "Why?"

"Because believe it or not," Shirong sighed, "even monsters like Firebenders need to eat."

o0O0o

"Not what you expected, is it?" Shirong asked quietly.

"No," Quy answered, staring at the sleeping Firebender curled up on his side on the floor.

"It's fascinating, really. We're all human."

Quy grimaced, but he took another step forward and knelt beside the Firebender for a closer look, being careful not to actually _touch_ him.

"Dad?" the prisoner mumbled, and Shirong saw Quy stiffen. "Dad...?"

"He mentioned his mother was dead," Shirong commented quietly. "His father, however, isn't. He still calls for him from time to time." He stepped forward and set the tray down on the floor before prodding at the prisoner. "Xiaofan, wake up. It's time to eat."

The other whimpered, and Quy suddenly reached out and brushed a few strands of hair out of the boy's face. "Hush, Xiaofan," he murmured, and to Shirong's surprise he took the cup of water from the tray. Pressing it to the Firebender's lips, he ordered, "Drink."

Xiaofan did so, slowly at first, then as fast as he could, gulping down the liquid as though he was worried it would be taken away. Quy frowned at that, and _did_ take the cup away, if only so the boy wouldn't choke. "Not so fast," he said, resting a hand on the Firebender's back. "Don't choke yourself. Take it slow."

The Firebender took a few shaky breaths, and little mewling noises escaped his lips. Quy's hand rubbed soothing circles on the boy's back, and he gave him a moment to calm down. Then he pressed the cup back to Xiaofan's mouth. "Take it slow," he repeated. "It's alright. I'm not going to take it away from you. Don't choke yourself. Just drink."

The Firebender obeyed, carefully sipping at the water. Shirong watched, fascinated.

o0O0o

Later, when they were walking back down the hallway, Shirong looked at Quy. "I'm impressed. How did you do that?"

Quy struggled with his words for a moment. Finally, when he was about to answer, he suddenly froze in his tracks and stared off down the hall. Shirong stopped beside him and followed his gaze.

There was a pair of men walking toward them, both dressed in full Dai Li uniform. One was light-skinned, the other slightly darker, but both of them were so alike in face that it was obvious they were brothers. They were in good spirits, too, judging from their broad grins, and their faces lit up when they saw Quy.

Quy watched them approach, and a small smile appeared on his face. Just before he hurried forward to greet them, he answered Shirong's question.

"It comes with being a parent."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Shirong builds Xiaofan's backstory and tries to figure out what he's going to do with the brainwashed Firebender once the bet is won.


	10. Chapter 9: Rebuilding

**GG Chapter 9 - Rebuilding**

"Have you seen Shirong's Firebender yet?"

"No," Tuan grumbled. "Don't want to. Don't _care_."

Yong favored him with a sideways glance. "You're such a spoilsport, Tuan."

"I'm going to lose a hundred jin because of a stupid bet I made when I was drunk at a party I scarcely remember over an experiment no one ever thought would actually take place."

Yong shrugged. "You might as well enjoy it, then."

" _Enjoy_ it?" Tuan shouted.

"You should go see the Firebender," Yong continued. "He's quite intriguing."

"Yeah? How so?"

"He's a _Firebender_."

"I got that," Tuan said. "Have you seen him shoot fire?"

"Unfortunately, no," Yong sighed. "He's far too out of it for that." He thought for a moment. "I would _like_ to see him bend, though. Do you think he'll be able to, when Shirong's done with him?"

A thought occurred to Tuan. "Should we even be talking about this in the hallway?"

"It's empty," Yong said with a wave of his hand. "There's no one around for tunnels in any direction. I think I'm going to ask Shirong for the Firebender, when the bet's over with."

Tuan didn't need to ask why. Shirong wasn't the only Dai Li who conducted experiments.

"It's a rare opportunity," Yong continued as they turned down the hallway that led to Tuan's office. "Do you think Shirong would let me have him?"

"Why wouldn't he?"

"He doesn't let anyone touch the Joo Dees..."

A fact which, Tuan remembered, Yong was _quite_ familiar with. "The Firebender isn't a Joo Dee," Tuan pointed out. Though Yong _did_ have a point. Shirong was well-known for his protective nature toward his creations. There were _plenty_ of terrible rumors floating around about what happened to the few agents who had, when the first Joo Dees were made, decided that the women were useful as more than just pretty tour guides. No one had ever been able or willing to prove those rumors true, but everyone tended to believe that they were.

"Hmm. I suppose you're right," Yong said as they came to a stop at the appropriate door. Tuan nodded and opened it.

And stared inside.

"What are you two doing in my office?"

"Oh, hey boss," Wu Sheng said. "We were just waiting for you."

"And straightening up your desk," Huang added, shuffling some papers around.

"Don't touch those!"

"You really need to keep this thing clean, sir," Huang tutted. "Otherwise the creative energies can't flow properly and you'll never get any work done."

"That's nice," Tuan said weakly, shoving Huang away from his desk so he could collapse into his chair. Looking at Wu Sheng, he asked, "Why are you hanging upside-down from the ceiling?"

Wu Sheng looked up at his feet, which were firmly affixed to the ceiling with help from his rock boots. He shrugged. "Why not?"

Tuan groaned.

"Agents Wu Sheng Shi and Huang Xu," Yong said, entering the office with infinitely more dignity than Tuan had. "How goes your work in Surveillance?"

" _Splendid_ ," Wu Sheng answered, his upside-down smile as wide as any Joo Dee's. "Sir."

"As always," Huang added with a nod. "Sir."

"You're still content with your work in District 54?" Yong pressed. "Because if you'd rather have something a little more stimulating than mere surveillance work - "

"Yong," Tuan sighed, "if you're going to try and steal my subordinates, you could at least have the decency to not do it right in front of me."

"Oh, he's only doing it with us because he knows we'll say no, boss," Wu Sheng grinned.

"You know we'd _never_ leave you," Huang said.

" _Ugh_ ," Tuan groaned. "Just tell me what you want so I can get you out of my office."

"What, we can't just drop in on our boss for a friendly visit?"

Tuan actually much preferred it when they _were_ after something. Easier to get rid of them that way. "Sure," he sighed, "Why not?" He allowed for a moment of silence, and then he said, "Well, you've been friendly and visited. You can leave now."

"Sure thing, boss," Wu Sheng grinned, dropping down from the ceiling and landing on his feet. It reminded Tuan absurdly of a pygmy puma.

"By the way," Huang said, "how's Shan doing? We haven't had the chance to check up on him in the past few days, so we wanted to know how things were."

"Shan?" Tuan repeated. "Oh, right, Shan. Shan's great. Really great. He's doing great."

"Great!" Wu Sheng beamed. "Glad to hear it!"

"This would be the Shan Cui you mentioned at the Directors' meeting the other week, correct?" Yong asked, voice politely curious.

"Yes..." Tuan said.

"And he's doing well in his new position?"

"Relatively," Tuan said quickly. "You know. For a rookie. I have him in the Upper Ring. It's not like anything ever happens there. He hasn't gotten much experience yet. But he's doing...adequately."

Yong eyed him. "I'm not going to spirit him off to Investigations a mere two weeks after you took him into Surveillance, Tuan."

Wu Sheng snorted, and then had a sudden coughing fit. "Sorry," he wheezed after a moment. "Allergies."

"Of course," Yong said generously. "Well, Tuan, I do believe I've taken up enough of your time, and I'm sure you have plenty of work to do. Have a good day. Agents Huang, Wu Sheng." With a parting nod, he left the office.

Tuan slumped farther in his chair. "I need to start looking for Shan's replacement now, don't I?"

Wu Sheng sighed. "Well...Shan's talented. And you know how Director Yong is about people who are talented..."

Tuan groaned.

"Look on the bright side," Huang said. "Shan needs a decent amount of experience before Yong can extend an offer for him to transfer to Investigations. And given that you just don't _get_ much experience in the Upper Ring...well, you've got plenty of time before Yong tries anything."

"Time I'll have to use looking for his replacement." Tuan groaned again. "I suppose there isn't a chance that Shan just won't _want_ to transfer to Investigations, huh?"

Huang and Wu Sheng exchanged glances. Of _course_ Shan would want to transfer to Investigations. Almost everyone did.

 _Almost_ being the operative word.

"Don't worry, boss," Wu Sheng grinned. " _We'll_ never leave you!"

Tuan's head dropped into his hands, and Huang and Wu Sheng exchanged smirks while he groaned.

o0O0o

"What do you plan to do with him when you're done?"

Shirong stared down at his lunch. "I'm not sure." After a moment, he added, "Yong's expressed an interest in him."

Quy frowned. "What would Yong want with a secondhand Firebender?"

"He mentioned something about seeing what makes them tic."

Quy grimaced. "He'll tear him apart, Shirong."

Shirong shrugged. "So am I."

Quy was silent for a long moment. He had never worked in Reeducation, and he hardly ever saw the unfinished product of reconditioning. He'd _heard_ things, though. He knew that some people were easy to recondition, while others had to be completely _broken_. Xiaofan's condition was an example of the latter case.

It was true that what Shirong was doing - what Shirong _did in general_ \- was, to put it bluntly, horrifying.

It was also true that Shirong did not like to kill people, and _that_ was why he reconditioned them. He made it so killing wasn't _necessary_.

Shirong had been the one to suggest the idea of reconditioning to Long Feng in the first place, back when the Grand Secretariat first took over and it became apparent just how much trouble the populace was going to give the new regime. Quy remembered it well, because he'd been there. By the time Long Feng took over, Quy had been a member of the Dai Li for a long time. He'd watched Long Feng completely reconstruct the setup of the Dai Li and change the city's governmental structure. He'd seen Long Feng's worry over what do with all the criminals and angry, outspoken citizens that were being arrested daily - there were too many to incarcerate, and killing them would be senseless and a waste. He'd seen the relief on the Grand Secretariat's face when Shirong had suggested reconditioning angry people into happy ones, turning them into loyal and dutiful citizens who could serve society and help keep Ba Sing Se peaceful.

They still had to kill the more violent ones, of course, or those who were so strong-minded that reconditioning them was hopeless. But, thanks to Shirong, very few people _were_ considered too violent or hopeless. There were thousands of citizens in Ba Sing Se who owed their lives - and their happiness - to the Reeducation Branch.

Shirong didn't like killing.

He also didn't like to pointlessly break or destroy things. He broke things so he could make them _better_. Shirong was tearing the Firebender's mind to shreds so he could _rebuild_ him.

Yong, on the other hand...

Yong would tear him to shreds. Period.

"Do you _want_ to hand him over to Yong?" Quy asked at last.

Shirong pushed the rice around his bowl with chopsticks. "No," he said after a moment. "It would be...a terrible waste." After a brief pause, he added, "Also, I simply don't want Yong to have him."

The statement sounded petty, but Quy wasn't surprised. Once, long before he'd become a director, Yong had attempted something with one of Shirong's Joo Dees. Shirong hadn't liked the man very much since.

But Shirong wouldn't allow himself to be ruled by mere pettiness, so Quy stayed silent and waited for Shirong to continue.

"I've spent so much time on him," Shirong mused. "So much time spent recreating his background, his family, his history, his _name_...it took such a long time to rewrite the name. And he's coming out so _well_. A masterpiece. _My_ masterpiece."

"So I'm guessing you don't want to simply dispose of him, either," Quy said.

"Of course not. That would also be a waste."

Quy eyed him. "What are you going to _do_ with him then, Shirong?"

Shirong was silent. What could he say?

"Hey Dad," a new voice said, and an agent slid into the seat on Quy's left. "Director Shirong."

"Sunan," Quy smiled, pleasantly surprised. "I thought you were working at the Jiu Yuan Museum today."

"We were," Sunan said, glancing over his shoulder, "but then lunchtime rolled around and Upper Ring restaurants are overpriced and you know how Niran is about free food..."

"Waste not, want not," Niran said, borrowing an old phrase from his mother while attempting to squeeze onto the end of the bench. "That includes opportunities. Move over, Sunan."

"There is plenty of room on my other side," Quy said pointedly. "Or on Shirong's side of the table."

"Yes Uncle Quy." Niran quickly relocated to Quy's right.

"We found this lovely jar in one of the back rooms," Sunan said, digging into his lo mein. "Eighteenth Earth King's era. Superb artistry. The detailing on the cherry blossoms is amazing. You should come see it."

"I'll leave you to your family reunion," Shirong announced, getting to his feet. Quy nodded in farewell and turned back to his firstborn and nephew.

"Sunan, have you seen your brother today?"

"Kun? No, can't say I have."

"Well, when you do, kindly remind him that he and his partner still have a sheaf of paperwork to fill out regarding that carriage incident..."

Shirong turned and walked away from the little family. As he exited the cafeteria, he left his dishes on a counter for a Joo Dee to take away. He wondered, briefly, if maybe he should check on his men, make sure the reconditioning of the farming families was going smoothly. But he already _knew_ that it was, because Huo had told him that morning. And besides, he knew that anything he did right now that didn't pertain to the Firebender, he was only going to do in order to avoid the problem he was suddenly facing.

He didn't know what to do with the Firebender once he was done with him.

He knew what he _didn't_ want to do with him. He just couldn't bear the thought of outright killing the boy. Especially once he'd reconditioned him into a harmless half-breed. Such an action would be unnecessary and pointlessly cruel.

As would turning him over to Yong.

But as for what to actually _do_ with him...

Shirong had a few ideas. He was pretty sure none of them were viable options.

Yet.

o0O0o

Light. There was light. Thank Agni, there was _light_ -

Someone settled down next to him. Sighed.

"What a mess."

That was Shirong's voice.

"You are a very interesting subject, you know that, Xiaofan?" A hand rested on his head. "I've never had to so thoroughly _break_ someone before. Not when I was going to completely rebuild them afterward, at least." Fingers slid through his hair. It felt...nice.

Nothing had felt nice in a long time.

"I do hope I can rebuild you right. If not..." A pause.

A very _long_ pause, stretched out over what might have been many minutes.

Finally, "Yong wants you, when I'm done. I know better than to wonder what he might want with a secondhand Firebender." A sigh. "I know what he does to prisoners."

A hand touched his forehead, and he couldn't help a small moan. It was so _warm_ compared to the rest of his surroundings. The stone all around him was hard and cold, but Shirong was warm. He missed being warm. He missed a lot of things, though he couldn't remember what most of them were anymore.

"I'm going to have to rebuild you _well_." The voice was thoughtful. "But carefully. I can give you a decent base and let you grow from there. I could make you _useful_." Another caress. "And maybe, if it all works out...they'll let me keep you."

o0O0o

The only pain Xiaofan suffered was that in his head and that in his legs - and the latter was quickly disappearing as the appendages healed. It appeared that the Firebender would indeed walk again. The Earth Kingdom may not have the amazing healing abilities of the Water Tribes, but they _did_ know how to take care of bones. There would be scars, of course, but that was alright. All in all, Shirong was quite pleased with the results.

Xiaofan still whimpered whenever he was bound to the chair, and Shirong supposed he couldn't blame him. By this point, the Firebender's subconscious had probably come to link stone chairs to flashing lights and headaches and misery in general. So Shirong did his best to keep Xiaofan calm whenever he had to bind him. He kept his voice soothing and his actions gentle, albeit firm.

"Hush," Shirong ordered, fastening the boy's head in place. "I'm trying to _help_ you."

"You call this helping?" the other moaned, not quite lucid.

"It's this or let them kill you," Shirong said practically. Xiaofan shuddered.

"Isn't that what you're doing?"

"No," Shirong answered, pulling up the lantern track. "I'm _helping_ you."

Xiaofan watched with bloodshot eyes as Shirong set up the lantern. "I don't even know who you _are_. I don't know who _I_ am."

Shirong looked up to meet his gaze. "I am your friend. And you are Xiaofan."

The Firebender sat still and stiff, eyes fixed pleadingly on Shirong. Clay waiting to be molded.

Shirong could have smirked.

_You're mine._

"Your name is Xiaofan," he repeated gently. "That's all you need to know. I'll take care of the rest."

"...okay," the other mumbled.

o0O0o

His name was Xiaofan. He was born on the fifth day of the fourth month in the Yutaka colony to Aki, the Fire Nation colonial, and Lin, his Earth Kingdom wife. His parents had loved each other, but his mother had died in childbirth.

He had an Uncle named Zai, his father's brother, and a pair of cousins named Zuzu and Zuli, who were adorable and aggravating, and an aunt named Ursa, an Earth Kingdom woman like his own mother, who'd practically raised him.

He'd lived in Yutaka with his family until just a year or so ago, when he'd realized that he didn't agree with the Fire Nation's beliefs of manifest destiny. He'd abandoned his family and run away from Yutaka with little more than a knapsack and his aunt's blessing. His father and uncle were most likely furious.

He'd traveled through the Earth Kingdom wilderness, searching for a place where he could safely settle among his mother and aunt's people. But there was no such thing as safety in the world these days, and he became little more than a wanderer with no destination. After some months, he started following the refugees, and thus slowly made his way to Ba Sing Se.

o0O0o

Xiaofan took much better to the rebuilding than he had to the breaking. Most people did. During the breaking, you had a reason to fight against it. In the rebuilding, you were given something to cling to.

Before long, Xiaofan's development had progressed to the point where Shirong didn't even need the lantern anymore. All he needed to do was invite the boy to Lake Laogai, and he had instant access to his subconscious. Much like a Joo Dee, or any average reconditioned citizen. The technique allowed for their sessions to be much more comfortable.

Currently, Shirong was brushing Xiaofan's hair - something he should have started doing long before now, he realized. After a couple weeks without seeing a comb, Xiaofan had something resembling a shrubbery on his head. But Shirong was slowly making headway, and he talked to Xiaofan while he worked.

"There wasn't anywhere else for you to go," he explained. "And it seemed that the rest of the world was heading for Ba Sing Se. So, naturally, you followed. What else were you supposed to do?"

Xiaofan's hair had a decent length to it, he noticed. Not as long as the average Dai Li agent's hair, but still long enough for a proper Earth Kingdom braid. Shirong decided that he'd braid the stuff if he ever got it untangled.

"So you followed the refugee caravans. You didn't _join_ them, but you did follow them, since you weren't sure how to get to the city yourself. It was a long journey, but you _did_ make it, didn't you?"

Xiaofan said nothing, didn't react to Shirong pulling on the tangles, didn't do anything other than stare off into space.

But Shirong knew that he was absorbing every word.

o0O0o

"What's wrong with my legs?"

Shirong looked at Xiaofan. "Beg pardon?"

Currently, they were eating lunch together at a low table Shirong had raised out of the floor of Xiaofan's cell. A decently sized lunch, because Shirong knew it was time to start building Xiaofan's strength back up.

"They hurt," Xiaofan explained quietly. "I mean, they used to hurt more, but they're okay now. Mostly. But they hurt, and I don't remember why."

Shirong had spent quite some time thinking about a suitable story for Xiaofan's legs. "You had a run-in with the Fire Army while trying to reach the city," he said. "It didn't end well, and they left you for dead. You're lucky a healer from one of the outlying villages found you." It was a decent, mildly ironic explanation. One Long Feng might even find amusing. Shirong smiled to himself.

"Oh," said Xiaofan, absorbing the information. "Okay."

o0O0o

Ba Sing Se was under siege and surrounded by Fire troops, making it impossible for anyone to reach, or even enter. Full Moon Bay was shut down, leaving the refugees with nowhere to go. Many dispersed throughout the countryside, settling into the villages around the city that the Fire Nation hadn't bothered burning down.

Xiaofan was wandering the area when he ran afoul of a troop of Fire soldiers. They took him prisoner and questioned him, and when they found his identification papers and it came out that he was a deserter from the colonies they broke his legs and left him for dead. He'd lain on the ground for hours in agony, until, by some lucky chance, a healer woman from He Liu village found him, took him home with the help of her ostrich-horse, and set about healing him.

By the time he recovered, the Siege had lifted, and Ba Sing Se was once again reachable. Xiaofan thanked the woman for her hospitality and set off for the city.

o0O0o

With Xiaofan's general backstory in place, Shirong knew it was time to handle the tricky part. It was going to take careful planning to implant the last few memories. And not because it was Xiaofan who he had to convince.

The problem now was Long Feng. And the rest of the directors as well, but mostly Long Feng.

Shirong did not want to get rid of Xiaofan. Therefore, he would have to somehow keep Xiaofan. He had already made Xiaofan as harmless as possible, in hopes that his new personality would help his cause. Now, Shirong had to make Xiaofan's entrance to the city as realistic as possible, and his wish to stay and live there as sincere as possible.

It was a long shot, but maybe, just maybe, it would convince Long Feng to let him keep the Firebender.

o0O0o

Xiaofan faced unforeseen complications when it came to entering the city. Apparently things like passports and identification papers were required, and Xiaofan had neither since the run-in with the Firebenders. Too impatient - and worried about how his heritage would affect things - to wait for a city official's decision, he found a gang of criminals and, for a price, was smuggled into the city.

Further complications arose when it became apparent that proper identification papers were also needed to obtain a (legal) job. Unable to pay for forged papers, Xiaofan spent a week or so sleeping in back alleys and trying to find some sort of less-than-legal work.

And then, one day, moments after stealing some fruit from a merchant's cart, he had the terrible luck of running straight into a Dai Li agent.

o0O0o

He woke up. Which was funny, because he didn't remember going to sleep.

He especially didn't remember going to sleep in a place like _this_. The room was large, and bright with sunlight. It streamed through tall windows and spilled over the entire area, causing the place to glow golden.

He closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled deeply, just enjoying the light. For some reason, it made him feel ridiculously happy.

The room was full of empty beds, too, and he suddenly realized that he was lying in one. It was comfortable. Extremely comfortable. More comfortable than anything he'd slept in since...he didn't know when.

But the bed was still amazing.

"Oh, you're awake," someone said, and a man approached the bedside. He took Xiaofan's wrist between two fingers to check his pulse. "I'm Healer Dong," he said. "May I ask your name?"

"Oh," he said. "It's..." The answer presented itself after a brief moment. "Xiaofan. I'm Xiaofan." He nodded to himself. Yes. Xiaofan. That was his name. That was who he was.

"Xiaofan...?" Dong prompted. After a moment, he asked, "No family name?"

"Ah - no." Family names weren't required out in the country, he remembered. They were, however, required for citizens of Ba Sing Se, no matter your social class or heritage. Xiaofan had never gotten registered as a citizen of Ba Sing Se, so he'd never been assigned a family name. No use lying now, though - they'd probably already noticed his lack of identification papers.

"Hm." The man dropped his wrist. "Well. You seem to be doing much better now. Director Shirong will be glad to know you're awake."

"Who?"

"The Dai Li agent you ran right smack into. You must have the worst luck."

Xiaofan stared at Dong. For a moment, he wondered what the healer was talking about, but then the memory came, sluggishly. He'd been running away from that fruit seller...and then everything had gone black.

And Dong said he'd run into a Dai Li agent. Great. Xiaofan hadn't been in the city long enough to hear much about the organization, but his instincts told him that they were extremely dangerous people.

"I wouldn't worry too much," Dong said.

"Why not?" Xiaofan asked.

"Because Director Shirong brought you _here_ ," Dong said. "If you were in trouble, you'd probably be under the Lake already."

Xiaofan shuddered, though he wasn't entirely sure why. "Oh. Okay." After another moment, he asked, "Um, where _is_ here?"

"The palace infirmary."

Before Xiaofan had time to gape, a new voice asked, "How is he?" and Xiaofan looked up. Another man was approaching them, dressed in full Dai Li uniform.

"He's perfectly fine," Dong said, moving away. "He can be released now, actually. I'll just hand him over to you, sir."

"Thank you," the newcomer said. Dong nodded and walked away, leaving Xiaofan alone with the stranger.

The other man carefully looked Xiaofan over with dark green eyes. "I am Dai Li Director Shirong Zongzheng, Head of Reeducation."

For some reason, everything about this man felt strangely familiar. His face, his name, the way he held himself straight as a board. Xiaofan didn't know why.

"I'm...Xiaofan."

"Just Xiaofan?"

"Yes."

Shirong nodded. "Very well. Here - put these on." He handed Xiaofan a set of plain brown robes - much nicer than the rags he'd been wearing for the past few months. Xiaofan only hesitated briefly before taking them, and then he got out of the bed and started changing.

When he pulled off his pants, he had to stop and stare at his legs. They were an angry red color, and covered in scar tissue. He shuddered. And then he noticed that Shirong was staring at them too.

"Firebenders," Xiaofan explained quietly. "I...had a run-in with them, a month or so ago."

"I see." Shirong's voice was level. "Though apparently you're still capable of _running_."

Right. He'd been running when he'd been caught. "They're still a little sore," he admitted, "but it could be worse."

Shirong said nothing. Xiaofan finished changing into the robes, and then he glanced at the Dai Li for guidance, unsure what to do next. Shirong looked Xiaofan up and down for a moment before nodding.

"Come with me." He turned and swept towards the exit. Xiaofan stared after him for a moment before following.

"Um...where are we going?"

Shirong made a sound that might have been a sigh. "To figure out what to do with you."

Xiaofan swallowed. But he _wasn't_ going to show fear. He wasn't.

Shirong led him out of the infirmary and down a number of hallways and staircases. Xiaofan followed as quickly as he could, though his legs were starting to act up. Every so often Shirong would glance back to check on him, and then Xiaofan would find it was a little easier to keep up with him.

Finally, they came to a hallway where another Dai Li waited before a large door.

"Director Shirong," the agent said, a disapproving look on his face. "You're - "

"My apologies for being late, Agent Enlai," Shirong said easily, making his way toward the door. "I was picking up someone." He turned and gestured at Xiaofan. Agent Enlai followed his gaze.

His eyes met Xiaofan's, and the peeved expression he'd been wearing was replaced by one of total shock.

"This is Xiaofan," Shirong said, voice light.

"...Nice to meet you," Xiaofan said quietly. He glanced at Shirong curiously before looking back at Enlai.

Enlai, for his part, was gaping like a fish as he stared at Xiaofan. Then he turned to stare at Shirong, whose smile was bordering on smug. "You could have...at least _mentioned_ that you were bringing a... _guest_ ," he managed, and it sounded like he was choking on the words.

"Yes, well," Shirong smiled, "I thought it would make for a nice surprise. Shall we go in?"

Enlai nodded jerkily and opened the door. Without a backward glance, he entered the dimly-lit room beyond.

Xiaofan glanced at Shirong. "Um...sir?"

Shirong's smile had vanished, replaced by an unreadable expression. "Come, Xiaofan," he said, lightly resting his hand on Xiaofan's shoulder so as to steer him into the room. As an afterthought, he added quietly, "Everything will be alright."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Shirong has fun derailing the weekly directors' meeting, and Xiaofan's fate is decided.


	11. Chapter 10: The Yu You Use

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! Here we are. The last actual chapter of Gilded Green. Also the longest, at 17 pages. Well, sixteen and three quarters. Close enough.
> 
> Thanks as always to Stingrae, who had tons of useful things to point out in this one. Including typos! Because I really do make them, sometimes. She took great delight in pointing them out to me. XD
> 
> Enjoy!

**GG Chapter 10 - The Yu You Use**

Long Feng looked up when the office door opened. Enlai entered, looking a little stiff and...miffed was an understatement. Long Feng briefly wondered why his aide looked like he'd swallowed a lemon whole, but that matter was quickly explained when Shirong followed Enlai through the door, accompanied by a brainwashed and thoroughly confused-looking Firebender.

Long Feng stared.

"Director Shirong's here," Enlai announced pointlessly. "Along with Mr. ...Xiaofan."

"Xiaofan" shifted uneasily on his feet. Shirong shot Long Feng a smug look.

"I ran into Xiaofan in the Lower Ring this morning," he said casually. "Literally. He appears to be missing his identification papers, so I thought it would be a good idea to bring him here."

There was a moment of extremely awkward silence. And not-entirely-subtle gaping. Shirong reveled in it.

Long Feng took a moment to look at his other directors. Delun was attempting to hide his surprise. Yong was favoring the Firebender with an intense and calculative look. Quy was staring with an expression that was a mixture of shock and...something else. And Tuan looked like he wanted to curl up into a ball, sink into the floor, and die.

The Firebender, meanwhile, looked nervous. His eyes flickered from Dai Li to Dai Li, then around the room in general. He glanced at the shelves of scrolls, and the few tapestries, and then his eyes latched onto the green flames burning eerily on the hearth.

Long Feng felt his heart freeze. His muscles tensed, ready to send stone flying if he had to, and he thought about shouting at Shirong, telling him that he should have given him some _warning_ so he'd know not to light the damn flames today and what on earth was he _thinking_ , bringing in such a potential risk - ?

But then the Firebender's eyes slid away from the fireplace, and he turned his gaze back to the Dai Li sitting around the table.

Long Feng looked at Shirong. Shirong stared back, but his unspoken words were clear.

_You doubted me?_

_Never again_ , Long Feng thought, and he allowed himself a smile. "Well then," he said. "I suppose we'll have to question Mr. Xiaofan. _After_ we're finished here," he added. Shirong had had his fun derailing their meeting - now they had to get back on track. They could handle the Firebender afterwards. "Enlai," Long Feng said, "escort our guest to the hallway and wait there until we're done, please." Brainwashed or not, there was no reason to keep the Firebender in the room while they discussed sensitive information.

Enlai led Xiaofan back out into the hall. The moment the door closed behind them, Long Feng fixed Shirong with a sharp look. "A warning would have been nice."

"Yes, but not necessary," Shirong answered, coming forward to take his customary seat at the table. "Besides, I wanted to see the looks on your faces."

Long Feng snorted. "You missed half the meeting."

"I'm sure I'll be filled in."

Long Feng sighed. "Very well. Yong," he turned to the Head of Investigations, "you were going to give us an update on those undercover agents..."

"Yes," Yong nodded. "Agents Tu Qiang Bi and Fu Jin have managed to pass some more information back to me regarding the crime ring they've infiltrated. Their cover still appears to be intact, though I'm hoping we won't have to leave them there for too much longer. With any luck, we'll be able to organize a raid on the gang within the next few months, hopefully after Tu and Fu have managed to acquire further information on their affiliates..."

o0O0o

The Firebender was uncomfortable, and Enlai didn't care.

They were standing in the hallway outside Long Feng's office. Enlai stood still and straight, hands clasped at attention behind his back. Xiaofan, on the other hand, leaned against the wall a little, and was constantly shifting his weight from one foot to the other. His eyes roamed the stone hallways curiously, taking in the detailed carvings on the walls. Every so often his gaze was drawn back to the sunbeams that spilled through the window at the end of the hall.

It was ironic, Enlai would admit. Here was a Fire Nation soldier who'd waited for six hundred days to see Ba Sing Se - and now, not only was he _in the Imperial Palace_ , he also couldn't even remember that he _was_ a Fire Nation soldier. Enlai wondered what the Firebender would have done in his old life to get to where he was standing now.

The Firebender kept looking around, trying to pass the time. Every so often he'd glance curiously at Enlai, and just as quickly look away. Enlai stared straight at the Firebender the entire time, observing as well as guarding. He tried to see past the brown robes, short braid, and quiet demeanor, looking for the angry, cursing, flame-spitting Fire soldier who'd been dragged out of the earth weeks ago.

He couldn't find the slightest trace of the man.

Director Shirong, Enlai decided, was very good at what he did.

The Firebender shifted uneasily again, and Enlai idly recalled watching an entranced Healer Dong set the man's legs in splints. For a moment he wondered if the Firebender's legs still hurt, and then he decided that he didn't care.

The Firebender glanced at him again, and Enlai decided he might as well say something. Of course, he didn't care about the awkward tension the Firebender must have been experiencing, but he _did_ want to see how Shirong's results held up under questioning.

"Where did you say you were from?"

The Firebender blinked at him a few times before answering, "Um – I – "

Enlai stared at him, waiting patiently.

" – Yutaka," the Firebender said at last. "I'm from Yutaka. It's a...Fire Nation colony. In the central Earth Kingdom."

Enlai frowned, peering straight into golden eyes. "And what, exactly, is a Fire Nation colonial doing in Ba Sing Se?"

The Firebender hesitated again before answering. "My mother...she was Earth Kingdom. My aunt, too. I always got along better with their folk than with my father's."

"So how did you get all the way here?"

"It...it's a long story."

 _Oh, I bet,_ Enlai thought, still staring at those bright yellow eyes. Just a few weeks ago, those eyes had been filled with such defiance and anger and hatred, and Enlai had been on the receiving end of many a heated glare. But now...

The Firebender stared right back at him, but in a curious sort of way. Not defiant, or angry, or hateful. There was no recognition in his gaze at all.

Enlai thought of another pair of yellow eyes – a pair belonging to a cocky and aggravating Firebender who'd betrayed his commander and handed detailed battle plans over to the Earth Kingdom, charging nothing but a single condition in return.

_"Do you swear, upon your honor and your life, to see to it that the north flank is completely obliterated?"_

He had. And it wasn't. But, standing here, faced with the proof of what the Dai Li were capable of, Enlai couldn't bring himself to care.

o0O0o

When the meeting was over, Shirong led Xiaofan back into the office. Enlai came back in as well and retook his seat at Long Feng's side. Long Feng expected Shirong to take his usual seat as well, but Shirong ignored the empty chair. Instead, he remained by the Firebender's side, standing before the Directors.

"Xiaofan," Shirong said, and the Firebender's head whipped around to look at him. Long Feng was slightly reminded of a Joo Dee awaiting orders. "We are going to ask you some questions. Please answer truthfully."

The Firebender took a breath. "Yes, sir."

"Very well, then," Long Feng said. "Let's begin." He glanced at Yong, the most experienced interrogator among them.

"Name?" Yong asked.

"Xiaofan."

"Just Xiaofan? No family name?"

"No."

"Place of birth?"

"Yutaka." At their blank looks, he added, "It's a...Fire Nation colony. In the central Earth Kingdom."

"And why were you not assigned a family name when you entered the city?"

"I...didn't exactly enter it legally. Sir."

Yong frowned. "A Fire Nation colonial who illegally entered the city and has no identification papers. Are you a leftover spy from the Siege, perhaps?"

"No," Xiaofan said quickly, "no, no, I'm not - I'd never - I don't _like_ the Fire Nation, sir."

There was a moment of silence while they all absorbed what he'd just said.

"Let's start at the beginning," Long Feng decided. "You were born in Yutaka..."

Xiaofan nodded and breathed. "My father and his brother are Fire Nation, sir. My mother and aunt are Earth Kingdom. My mother died when I was born, so my aunt helped raise me. Thanks to her, I've always loved the Earth Kingdom, and I came to...disapprove of the Fire Nation's behavior and attitudes."

Long Feng nodded. "What are you doing in Ba Sing Se? The city is a long way from Yutaka."

"I left Yutaka several months ago. I was hoping I could find some small Earth Kingdom town to settle in, away from the Fire Nation. But...the war's hard to escape, and everyone was coming here, so I followed. Of course, that Siege made things a little difficult..."

"Did you ever participate in the Siege?" Classic Yong, point-blank and in-your-face.

"What?" Xiaofan asked. "No! Never even got close to it." After a moment, he added, "Well...except for this one time... I...ran into a troop of Fire soldiers while they were patrolling around the countryside, near He Liu Village."

"And used your heritage to get on their good side, no doubt," Yong said.

"Actually, sir, they weren't happy when they realized I was a deserter. That's where I lost my identification papers, actually." Xiaofan frowned before adding, "And then they beat me up and shoved a rather large rock on my legs to crush them, and then they left me there. I would've died if a healer from He Liu hadn't walked by a few hours later."

Long Feng frowned. "They used a rock to crush your legs," he repeated. There was really no other way to explain Xiaofan's leg wounds, but how on earth Shirong had managed to make Fire soldiers using a _rock_ sound realistic...

"Something about irony, I think, sir," Xiaofan said. "Since I loved the Earth Kingdom so much."

Long Feng looked at Shirong. Shirong smirked. Xiaofan, standing slightly ahead of Shirong, didn't see it.

o0O0o

Xiaofan wasn't sure how long the interrogation went on for. They wanted to know every last detail about him, it seemed, and he was happy to tell them. Maybe – hopefully - if they thought he really did care about the Earth Kingdom, they'd let him live.

He was pretty sure that with every answer he gave, Shirong became prouder. Well, smugger, at least. Xiaofan wasn't sure if this was a good or bad thing. Something told him that Shirong, at least, liked him. Shirong might be on his side.

Something else about Shirong freaked him out, though. Xiaofan wasn't sure what or why - it was just instinct. The man was dangerous, even if he _was_ on his side.

But then, maybe having a dangerous person who liked him was a _good_ thing right now. The other Dai Li certainly didn't seem to care about him.

They _did_ seem impressed, for some reason. Especially towards the end of the interrogation, when the white-haired director - Quy, that was his name - asked what Xiaofan _wanted_ in Ba Sing Se, anyway.

Xiaofan's reply had been simple. "I don't want much, sir. Even if there was just some...some small duty I could perform in the city... If I could just be allowed to live here, legally, I would be honored to serve the Earth Kingdom."

They all stared at him. And then they all looked vaguely amused.

Except for Director Quy, Xiaofan noticed. He just looked thoughtful.

Finally, they were out of questions, and Xiaofan fell silent. His legs hurt, and he wanted to sit down, but he knew better than to ask. And besides, he didn't want to show weakness. Not now, when his entire life was on the line.

"You've outdone yourself, Shirong," Long Feng said. Xiaofan wondered what Shirong had done, exactly. "I'm pleased to know that I can count one so skilled among my friends."

Shirong inclined his head. "Thank you."

"I do believe this settles our bet," Long Feng added. "Yong, Delun, and myself will pay out your winnings soon."

Tuan looked relieved.

"Now then," Long Feng continued. "There is the matter of what to do with him."

Xiaofan heard Shirong take a deep breath. "Yes. About that - "

"I'll take him," Yong cut in quickly. No one looked terribly surprised. "That is, I'm sure no one else will be wanting him for anything, so if you'd like to hand him over to me - "

"No."

Shirong's voice was as firm and unyielding as the stone he stood on. The directors all looked at him incredulously.

"Pardon?" Long Feng asked.

"I would rather not hand him over to Yong."

Yong frowned at Shirong.

"Then what do you propose you do with him, Shirong?" Long Feng asked, turning his gaze on Xiaofan.

This wouldn't end well for him, Xiaofan knew. They didn't want him in their city. He was a half-breed and he'd entered the city illegally, and now they were going to dispose of him. He shivered, wondering how long it would take.

But then a pair of hands took his shoulders in a firm and steady grip, and Shirong said, "I'm keeping him."

Something about the way Shirong said that was very, very strange. Confused and terrified, Xiaofan spoke up. "What the _hell_ are you talking about?"

They all looked at him, as though remembering he was still there. Shirong sighed.

"Xiaofan, the Earth King has invited you to Lake Laogai."

He was, of course, honored to accept his invitation.

o0O0o

Once the Firebender was safely entranced, Long Feng rounded on Shirong. "Are you _mad_ , or merely suicidal?"

"I've worked hard on him," Shirong protested. "And I am quite pleased with the results. It would be a waste to just dispose of him!"

Long Feng could have cursed. He should have known it would come to this. Shirong's protectiveness of his creations was legendary. "Shirong..."

"Besides," the other pressed on, "this project has numerous differences and variations from my normal ones. He is a foreigner, and a Firebender, reconditioned to believe he's at least partially native and a nonbender. _And_ this is the first time I've reconditioned someone so thoroughly without turning them into a Joo Dee or a mindless lump - I've made it so that he's capable of living out an actual _life_." Looking at Long Feng, he finished, "It would be most interesting to study his behavior."

"You're saying you want to keep a brainwashed Firebender around until he realizes he can shoot flames out of his hands and comes after us for revenge?" Tuan spluttered. Shirong stared at the other director for a moment, unable to come up with a suitable comeback for such a blunt statement.

"Tuan's right," Long Feng said, causing Tuan, Yong, Enlai, Delun, and Quy to gape at him. He ignored them. "He's dangerous, Shirong. I cannot allow you to keep him."

"And I cannot allow you to destroy him."

"Shirong," Long Feng growled, the word a warning. Shirong met his gaze evenly, and the other directors made sure they knew where the exits were. There was a long, tense moment, and finally Long Feng sighed. "Say I let you keep him," he said. Maybe, just maybe, Shirong hadn't really thought this through. Maybe he'd see the stupidity of it all when the flaws in his plan were pointed out to him. "What would you _do_ with him, Shirong? You can't just let him wander around the city!"

"I was thinking I might take him into my household. I could use a servant."

"You would never be able to watch him there," Long Feng said. "You never _go_ home. You spend most of your time at the Lake."

Shirong hesitated, unsure how to retort.

And then, suddenly, Quy spoke up. "I'd take him."

Shirong turned to stare at the other man. "...What?"

Quy glanced at him briefly before looking to Long Feng. "He said himself he'd like to work for the city. Administration could always use another pair of hands. And you don't need to be a bender to handle paperwork, so the lack of earthbending wouldn't raise suspicions." Meeting Long Feng's gaze, he said, "We could keep an eye on him there. If anything went wrong, we'd notice."

"Oh, yeah, we'd notice alright," Tuan grumbled.

Long Feng was frowning at Quy and Shirong. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two had planned this."

"We didn't," Shirong murmured, glancing at Quy. The other wouldn't meet his gaze.

"I just think it would be a waste of life," Quy said. "Not to mention a waste of opportunity. Shirong's right - this would make for an extremely interesting behavioral study."

"A behavioral study that would help further my psychoanalytic research," Shirong added, latching on to that idea. "I've been trying to refine our reconditioning techniques. This would definitely be useful."

"Great," Tuan sighed. "We'll have a psychoanalytical research experiment of a brainwashed Firebender sorting papers in the Administration Branch until he snaps and tries to kill us. With fire. Wonderful."

"He's as harmless as a Joo Dee," Shirong said.

"Joo Dees are pretty harmful when they snap," Yong pointed out, giving Shirong a hard look. "Or have you forgotten the butcher knife incident?"

Shirong scowled. "I'll keep an eye on him."

"You keep an eye on your precious Joo Dees, too, but even _they_ have rebounds sometimes."

"Then I'll keep an even _closer_ eye on him."

" _Or_ you could just hand him over to me and be done with it."

"I am _not_ handing him over to _you_."

"What _is_ it with you and your precious _pets_?"

"I do not have _pets_!"

"Then what are the Joo Dees? Your _daughters_?"

"Listen Yong," Shirong snarled, "just because I'm not letting you rip the man to shreds doesn't mean you need to act like a - !"

"Enough," Long Feng ordered, and the two men fell silent, though they were still spearing each other with glares. Long Feng sighed. Once upon a time, Yong had tried to go after one of Shirong's Joo Dees. The resulting bending battle was _still_ talked about. Both men were possessive as hell. The difference was that Shirong was possessively protective. Yong was just possessive.

"So," Long Feng said after a moment. "We have a brainwashed Firebender. On the one hand, he may or may not have a rebound." He allowed them a moment to think about the repercussions of such an event. "On the other hand, he could provide an extra pair of hands in Administration, as well as be a unique case study."

"He'll probably develop a great love for Earth Kingdom culture as well," Shirong ventured. Delun snorted, looking amused at the thought.

Long Feng sighed again. That was the thing with childhood friends. They knew just how to play you. Shirong's Firebender would provide three things that Long Feng either valued or enjoyed - hard work, information, and humiliating irony - at the risk of that Firebender _possibly_ having a rebound and coming after them for revenge. Possibly.

But Shirong was an expert hypnotist. After years on the job, he could see a rebound coming from a mile away.

And the idea of having a Firebender - a _brainwashed Firebender_ \- willingly sorting through the Dai Li's paperwork and happily chattering about Earth Kingdom culture was just too wonderfully absurd to pass up.

Long Feng sighed one last time. "Shirong," he said, "I'm trusting you with this."

They all stared at him. Enlai in shock. Tuan in horror. Yong was obviously pissed. Quy looked resigned. Delun merely nodded, taking it in stride, as always. And Shirong...

Shirong was just staring.

And then he nodded. "It will be fine. I promise."

"It had better be."

o0O0o

It was turning out to be one of the longest Directors' meetings in the history of the Dai Li. Once Xiaofan's continued existence and job in Administration was settled, they'd had to figure out other things. Such as rationalizing to Xiaofan why they were letting him stay.

They couldn't just accept him into the Dai Li out of the goodness of their hearts, after all.

"No, no, it's a perfectly good idea," Tuan insisted. "A trade-off. Tell him he's welcome to stay in the city if he provides all the information he remembers on the smugglers who got him in. That way, it sounds like a fair exchange and he doesn't get suspicious."

"Those smugglers don't _exist_ ," Yong grumbled.

"Yes, but he _thinks_ they do," Tuan explained.

"So we're going to ask him to provide useless information on _nonexistent smugglers_?" Yong growled, shooting an glare at the subject of their conversation. The Firebender didn't notice, of course, as he was still stuck in a trance.

"Yes," said Tuan. "Pretty much. The point is to make him think _we're_ getting something out of this." It wasn't that he cared about the Firebender - oh, no, definitely not. In fact, seeing as Xiaofan's existence was just a reminder of a night that Tuan _couldn't_ remember and the embarrassing drunken bet that'd resulted, Tuan would've been happiest if they'd just quietly disposed of the guy.

But he'd also realized that, by Shirong keeping Xiaofan, Yong wasn't getting what he wanted. It was pissing Yong off, because Yong _always_ got what he wanted. And Tuan, who had lost so many good agents by way of transfer to Investigations, couldn't help but smirk a little on the inside, to see Yong in such a state.

Karma was a wonderful, wonderful thing.

He still thought keeping the Firebender around was a bad idea, of course. But hey, since when had anyone listened to him?

"I think that will work," Shirong nodded, approving of Tuan's plan.

"You're sure he'll believe we'd just let him stay in exchange for some information?" Quy asked. Shirong shrugged.

"He isn't stupid, Quy. He probably knows we'd like to keep an eye on him, too. It will work. Now we just need to get him some identification papers..."

Delun spoke up. "What are you naming him? His family name, I mean."

Shirong was silent for a long, long moment. And then he answered, "...Lee."

Delun stared at him dully.

"Lee is a perfectly good family name!" Shirong protested.

"It's completely unoriginal!"

"Well what do _you_ suggest?" Shirong asked.

"Yu."

Oh. Like Yutaka. That made sense. Refugees were usually named after their homelands, after all.

"Only not the _yu_ used for Yutaka," Delun added, grabbing a sheet of paper and quickly writing out a character on it. "Use this _yu_."

Shirong stared at the word. Then at Delun. Then back at the word.

"Fine," he sighed. He didn't really care _what_ Xiaofan's family name was. He was just happy Xiaofan wasn't getting killed. He supposed it would be alright if the boy got saddled with an extraordinarily meaningful name.

Stupid symbolic Delun.

o0O0o

Xiaofan couldn't believe his luck. Not only had the Dai Li directors _not_ thrown him out of the city - they'd even given him a job! Well, forced a job on him was more like it. They said it was in exchange for information, but Xiaofan wasn't stupid. He knew they probably wanted to keep a close eye on him, what with the Fire Nation heritage and all. He would too, were he in their position.

But still. He had a job. Things were looking up.

After that meeting, Directors Shirong and Quy had taken him to some other part of the palace, where Quy had proceeded to disappear into a room. An hour or so later, Quy met Xiaofan and Shirong in the hallway. He held out a little booklet. Xiaofan took it gingerly. "What's this?"

"Your new identification papers," Shirong answered. "Don't lose them."

Xiaofan blinked and opened the cover. He stared at the two characters that spelled out his name. They looked...strange, for some reason. Unfamiliar. He wasn't sure why. But he was happy to see them.

Then he frowned at the third character alongside the original two. "What's this?"

"Your family name," Quy answered. "Oftentimes for refugees, family names are derived from the province they came from. Sai for those from Sai An, Nan or Nanyue for those from Nanyue. We assigned you the first syllable of your home colony."

"Xiaofan Yu," Xiaofan read. He nodded. "Alright. Thank you."

"You're welcome. Come on. This way."

Xiaofan hurried after him. "Um...so, where are we going now?"

"Lake Laogai," Shirong answered, and Xiaofan shivered. "It's the weekend, so you won't need to start work during the next few days. But you might as well familiarize yourself with the place's layout, and it's not like you have anywhere else to stay, correct?"

"Right."

"Good," said Shirong.

For a while, the three of them walked in silence. And then Xiaofan spoke.

"You know...the _yu_ you used for my name...it isn't the same _yu_ you use to write Yutaka."

Shirong and Quy exchanged glances. "We know," Quy said. Shirong sighed, rolled his eyes, and shook his head. _Little obedient one_ was bad enough. To add _yu_ to it...

"It's okay, though," Xiaofan added quickly. "I don't mind."

Shirong snorted and smiled. "Of course you don't."

Xiaofan shrugged. He really didn't mind. He just thought it was odd, that instead of using the character for _abundant_ , they'd use the one that meant _consent_. But then, he _had_ consented to work for them. Maybe they meant for it to be symbolic or something.

o0O0o

They took him to Lake Laogai and led him through the tunnels. Xiaofan shuddered as they guided him through the subterranean lair. He supposed he just wasn't used to being underground.

He'd get used to it, though, he was sure. He was going to be working for these people, after all.

They reached a large cavern filled with hundreds of shelves that must have held thousands of scrolls. Xiaofan couldn't help but stare.

"This would be the Dai Li's Administration Branch," Shirong told him. Quy had left their side and was walking in front of the shelves, looking down each aisle as he passed. "They handle all the paperwork. As you can see, the organization generates a lot of it."

"Right," Xiaofan nodded. "And...Quy's in charge."

"Director Quy is the Head of Administration, yes."

Halfway across the room, Quy had apparently found what he was looking for. "Yuan!" he called. A moment later, he was leading another agent back towards them.

"Sir?" the newcomer asked when he caught sight of Xiaofan and Shirong.

"This is Xiaofan Yu," Quy said. "He's new. Xiaofan, this is Yuan Nanyue, my second."

"Nice to meet you," Yuan said.

"Nice to meet you too," Xiaofan answered.

"Yuan," Quy began, and he sighed. "I know it's almost the weekend, and you probably want to get home to Suyin and the kids, but if you could please help Xiaofan settle in... He'll be spending the weekend here, and then he'll start work with the rest of us on Yang-Earthday. You'll be able to show him the ropes then."

"Yes sir," Yuan nodded. Eyeing Xiaofan, he said, "Well, I guess we'd better get you a room if you're going to be staying a few days. And some uniforms. Shall we go?"

Xiaofan glanced at Quy and Shirong. Shirong nodded. "Alright," Xiaofan said. Yuan smiled and led him out of the room.

Quy and Shirong watched them go. When they were gone, Quy sighed, closed his eyes, and tiredly leaned against one of the shelves. "I can't believe I'm doing this," he said quietly.

Shirong was silent. Quy sighed again and opened his eyes, looking in the direction Yuan had taken Xiaofan. "I should go make sure he gets settled in alright." But he didn't move from where he leaned against the shelf.

"I'll be staying here over the weekend," Shirong said. "Just in case."

Quy snorted. "I thought you said he was perfectly safe."

"A little extra caution never hurt anybody. Besides, I'd like to analyze his behavior."

"I'm sure he'll be just as nice, quiet, and submissive as he's been all day."

"Indeed," Shirong sighed. "He _does_ keep deferring to me, I've noticed."

"Maybe it's his name," Quy suggested. Shirong grimaced.

"Maybe."

Xiaofan Yu. Little Obedient One Who Consents.

"I'm going to make sure he hasn't fried Yuan," Quy said at length, heading for the door.

"He won't have fried Yuan," Shirong grumbled, following after.

"A little extra caution never hurt anybody," Quy snipped.

They continued down the hallways until they heard the voices.

"...have any clothes other than those?"

"Um...no..."

Quy paused just outside the door to the room the extra uniforms were stored in. Shirong stopped right behind him.

"Eh, that's alright. I'm sure we can find some extra robes somewhere that you can use. Until you get some of your own, I mean. You know, you look about my size...a little shorter, but that's alright. I can probably lend you some of mine. I've got a bunch of extra clothes in my room."

"I don't want to be a bother..."

"Don't worry about it. I don't mind, really." A brief pause, and then, "You're a refugee, right?"

"Something like that, yeah."

"Well...just don't worry about it, then. Just return them whenever you've gotten your own, alright?"

"Okay. Thanks."

There were footsteps, and the two men came to the door. They paused when they saw the two directors standing there. Yuan smiled brightly at his boss, while Xiaofan hung back in the door frame, clutching a bundle of green robes and a matching conical hat.

"Director Quy," Yuan nodded. "I was just going to show Xiaofan to one of the empty rooms before I went home..."

Quy nodded back. "Thank you, Yuan. Have a nice weekend."

"You too, sir," Yuan smiled. "Come on, Xiaofan. Sleeping quarters are down this way." He headed off down the hallway. Xiaofan quickly followed. Quy watched them go, and desperately hoped that this wouldn't end badly. Though so far, it seemed they were off to a good start. Yuan seemed to have taken a liking to the Firebender, at least.

He sighed, closed his eyes, and rubbed his forehead. What in Hu-Tu's name was he _doing_?

But he couldn't _not_ do it, either. Not after seeing Xiaofan before he was...Xiaofan. Not after realizing that the boy had a father somewhere. A father who probably missed him terribly.

Quy thought of his own children - his sons, Sunan and Kun. His daughter, Zan. They were all grown up - older than Xiaofan, even, albeit not by much. If anything ever happened to any of them...

Quy didn't want to think about what Xiaofan's father must be going through. He didn't want to sympathize with a nameless and faceless Fire Nation man. But he couldn't help himself.

Down the hallway, Yuan was still chatting amicably with Xiaofan. Then they rounded a corner and disappeared.

"Quy," Shirong said quietly. His voice sounded awkward.

"Hm?"

Shirong was silent for a moment. And then he said, "Thank you."

Quy grunted. "I didn't do it for you."

"I know."

Quy sighed again and stared off down the hallway at the corner Yuan and Xiaofan had turned at. "You said you'll be here for the weekend?"

"Yes."

"Great. In that case, I'm going to go home now. To my _family_." To his wife and his sons and his daughter. His nephew would probably be there, too, and his sister- and brother-in-law...

He was still staring at the place where Xiaofan had disappeared. More than anything else right now, he realized, he wanted to take Sunan and Kun and Zan in his arms and hold them _tight_.

Part of him suddenly became irrationally pissed at Shirong for making him feel this way about a _Firebender_ , of all people.

He turned to face the other director. "I'm going home," he said again, and then, unable to help himself, he lashed out at Shirong. Just a little. " _My family_ is waiting for me."

_Yours isn't._

The words weren't spoken, but they were still there. Shirong looked away.

"Have a good weekend, Quy," he said quietly.

"Right," Quy said. "You too."

He left Shirong standing in that hallway and headed for one of Lake Laogai's exits - a tunnel that led up to the surface, where he could easily reach an Agrarian Zone train station and catch a ride home.

He didn't leave until Yuan showed up. His subordinate looked surprised to see him.

"I thought you'd left, sir."

"Figured I'd wait," Quy sighed. He told himself to stop checking Yuan over for singe marks. "Everything with Xiaofan go alright?"

"Yes sir. He's all settled in."

"Good. Thank you."

Yuan nodded, and then he hesitated. "Sir...about Xiaofan..."

"Yes?"

"I didn't want to pry, but...he has _very_ yellow eyes."

Quy sighed. "I'm sure he'll tell you his story when he feels comfortable."

"War child?" Yuan asked.

"From what I heard, his parents loved each other," Quy said. "It really isn't my story to tell, though." _Nor is it Xiaofan's_.

Yuan chuckled. "And since when have the Dai Li worried about other people's privacy, sir?"

" _You_ ought to know full well that we worry about _each other's_ privacy plenty," Quy answered. "Now come on. We've both got wives and children who are probably wondering where we are."

"Of course, sir," Yuan smiled as they boarded the train. "Though seeing as your children are my age, I'm sure they aren't nearly as excited for you to come home as mine are."

"Well, yes," Quy said, and he absently pushed a few strands of white hair that'd gotten loose from his braid out of his face. _But they'll always be mine._

o0O0o

Shirong found Xiaofan sitting on a bed in one of the unoccupied sleeping quarters, staring at the hands he'd folded in his lap. He glanced up when Shirong entered, and started to stand, but Shirong held out a hand.

"Don't worry about that," he said. After a moment, he asked, "Do your legs hurt?"

"...Just a little. Sir."

"They'll get better," Shirong promised.

Xiaofan nodded, but didn't say anything.

Shirong glanced around the small room. Like most Dai Li sleeping quarters, it had two sets of furniture - two beds, two closets, two desks. Sparse but serviceable. Xiaofan had no partner, however, and this room wasn't being used by anyone else, so the right half of the room was empty.

So was the left half, actually. All that Xiaofan had was a small pile of clothes folded up on the bed. Most of them belonged to Yuan.

"I'll be staying here during the weekend, should you need anything," Shirong said, and Xiaofan perked up a bit at his words. "Although I may not always be available," he added, thinking of the few farming families who still needed to be reconditioned and the various other duties he'd been neglecting in favor of brainwashing the Firebender. He might as well use the weekend to catch up on work. It wasn't like he had anything else to do.

"Alright," Xiaofan said quietly. "Thank you. Sir."

"Did Yuan give you a map of the place?"

"Yes sir."

"Then I suggest you spend your time using it. The sooner you've familiarized yourself with the tunnels, the better."

Xiaofan nodded. "I will, sir."

Shirong stared at him for a few more seconds, wondering if he'd forgotten anything. Finally, he nodded back. "Alright then. I have some things I need to take care of. You have a good evening."

"You too, sir."

Shirong left the room. Halfway to his office, he was shocked to run into Huo.

"Sir!" Huo exclaimed. "You're still here?"

"Yes."

Huo looked sympathetic. "I suppose you're still busy."

"Oh," said Shirong. "No, actually. I mean, yes, but...not with that project. It's over."

"Oh," said Huo. "That's good. Glad to hear it."

"I'll be helping you finish with the farming families now," Shirong added. Huo smiled.

"We've only got a few more to go, sir. But the help will be welcome."

"I'll work on them over the weekend," Shirong promised, and Huo frowned.

"You aren't going home?"

"Not right now."

Huo shrugged. "Alright sir. I'm going home now myself, though. You have a good night."

"You too, Huo."

Huo nodded and started to walk away, and then he stopped. "Fen's making Fried pork-chicken and rice for dinner," he said. "You want to come? She keeps asking me when you're available, you know..."

He wanted to, Shirong realized. He really, _really_ wanted to say yes, and go see his godson, and enjoy Fen's cooking after weeks of nothing but Lake Laogai's cafeteria food.

But he had a brainwashed Firebender to take care of and a load of neglected duties that he needed to catch up on. He couldn't afford to leave. Not right now.

So he smiled at Huo and shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. Not tonight."

"Alright sir," Huo said. "Maybe next week?"

Shirong thought for a moment. And then he nodded. "Next week."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: The epilogue. Xiaofan has trouble sleeping.


	12. Epilogue: We All Fall Down

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's note from FFN...
> 
> \---
> 
> And here we are. The epilogue, which is...depressingly short, all things considered. Only four pages. But...but epilogues usually are short, so it's okay, right?
> 
> My thanks, as always, to Stingrae, for helping me get this far.
> 
> Also thanks to all my awesome readers. I remember when I first started writing this thing, and I thought, "Man. This story is about a dead guy who only got one line in the series and the two-dimensionally evil organization canon only cared for as a plot point and the fandom doesn't care about at all. Most of the cast is comprised of OCs. How many people are actually going to read this thing?" At which point Stingrae told me to stop worrying about it and keep writing. I quickly agreed that this was the best course of action, if only because this story was so very determined to be told.
> 
> That doesn't mean I don't get all giggly and squeeful when I see the number of hits and visitors. People are actually reading this thing. And enjoying it, no less! So thanks, guys. It means a lot. ^_^
> 
> Now, enough babbling. Enjoy the epilogue!

**Epilogue - We All Fall Down**

Xiaofan didn't like how dark it was down here.

He was in his room, curled up on his bed, ignoring his aching legs, enjoying the warmth of the blankets, and trying to fall asleep. But sleep was slow in coming, and with every passing moment Xiaofan felt like the walls were pressing in on him, and the ceiling was bowing down under the weight of the lake above. The stone was too hard, and the air was too still, and the temperature was too cold, and everything was so _dark_. A heavy, deep sort of darkness, without even any light from the moon or stars.

It was frightening, and he really didn't like it, and he supposed he'd have to get used to it.

It could be worse, he told himself. He could be _dead_.

He lay there a few minutes more, and then he reached out into the darkness for the cloth he couldn't see but knew was lying on the small table beside the bed. He pulled it away, and the room was instantly flooded with a gentle, green light from the glowstone the cloth had covered. It wasn't sunlight, or even a candle, but it was better than nothing.

Yuan had handed it to him before showing him to his room, saying he'd need some sort of light. Nice guy, Yuan. He'd been happy to help Xiaofan get settled in, even though it was the end of the day and Director Quy had mentioned that Yuan had a family to get home to. He'd even lent Xiaofan some extra clothes. They hadn't had much time to get to know each other, but Xiaofan thought Yuan seemed like a pretty decent person. Friendly, even.

Xiaofan decided he'd have to be friendly to as many people as possible, himself. And work hard. And maybe, after a while, the Dai Li directors would see that he really _was_ on their side, and not a Fire Nation spy in disguise. Maybe they'd even trust him.

For now, though, he had to get to sleep.

Xiaofan reached out for the glowstone. It was small enough that he could pick it up with one hand, and he took it from the table and set it beside him on the mattress. The light was soothing, even though it was weird and green, and he felt himself relax as it washed over him.

Within minutes, he was asleep.

o0O0o

Enlai paged through the last few papers that had come in at the end of the day. Most were forms or requests that needed to be approved, and those he set aside on Long Feng's desk to be handled later. Others were more important or informational, and those he sorted into another pile, summarizing them as he went.

"The latest report from General How states that the Fire Army is withdrawing entirely," he said.

"Good," Long Feng nodded, looking over a budget report he was almost through reviewing.

"Also, the Council of Five has chosen General Sung to replace General Sang Shi," Enlai said.

"Also good. Is there anything else?"

Enlai paused to look at the little scrap of paper in his hand. "Director Shirong says that Xiaofan Yu is settling in well."

Long Feng was silent.

Enlai went about straightening up the reports on the desk, making sure everything was in place before calling an end to a long day. He thought about the Firebender under the lake, and wondered how this was going to play out. Like most of the others, Enlai had the feeling that keeping the Firebender around was a pointlessly stupid idea. They should have just run the experiment and then gotten rid of him. And that was his common sense talking, not the oath he'd failed to keep.

_"And if that doesn't happen? If the north flank isn't wiped out?"_

"I'm a spy. I've snuck into this city plenty of times. I think I'd find a way to extract payment. _**Enlai**_ _."_

Enlai actually didn't feel any fear over Lee's threat. It wasn't like the man had any way to _know_ that a single soldier had survived. Especially since he was probably well on his way back to the Fire Nation right now. And even if Lee _did_ , somehow, show up, Enlai wasn't the slightest bit worried about how the consequences would play out. He was an agent of the Dai Li. He could deal with a Firebender if he had to.

And he was undoubtedly going to have to, if Xiaofan was going to stick around. Even if the man didn't remember how to bend anymore, Enlai refused to let his guard down. Keeping Xiaofan around was a dangerous and stupid idea, and Enlai thought that Long Feng should have told Shirong, point-blank, _no_.

He had a feeling that Long Feng might think the same thing.

"I believe this goes without saying, Enlai," Long Feng said at last. "But keep an eye on Xiaofan."

"Of course, sir."

o0O0o

Shirong sat at his desk in his office, tucking all the notes he'd made on the Firebender's reconditioning into a folder. He'd have to take them back to his house in the Upper Ring soon; no point in leaving them around where any reeducation officer could come across them. Granted, Shirong's underlings knew better than to snoop through his office, but there was always a chance someone would accidentally come across them while looking for some _other_ piece of paperwork.

And it wouldn't do for lower-ranking agents to learn that there was a brainwashed Firebender in their midst. He wanted Xiaofan to have a _normal_ life now, after all. As normal a life as a gold-eyed refugee could have, at any rate.

Shirong couldn't wait for things to go back to normal, himself. He glanced at the stack of reports on the reconditioned farming families that had been sitting on his desk for half a week now, waiting for his attention. The experiment was over; time to get back to work.

He picked up the last page of notes on the Firebender – one of the first things he'd ever written about the boy. A simple piece of paper, covered in notes on the Firebender's childhood and family life. Shirong stared at it for a moment before snorting and placing it in the folder with the rest.

Whoever Jouin had been didn't matter anymore. His past and future, his thoughts and feelings, his hopes and dreams – all were locked away, buried so deep into his subconscious that they might as well have never existed. They might come back out someday, of course – all reeducations came with the risk of a rebound. But Shirong would be ready for that day, for his creation's sake.

Jouin was dead. All there was now was Xiaofan.

o0O0o

Azula was brushing her hair when someone knocked at her bedroom door. The princess frowned. It couldn't be her brother, because Zuzu had stumbled off to bed a few hours ago, exhausted after the long night of Father's coronation celebrations. It couldn't be Mother, because...

Well. Because.

And Father wouldn't knock.

 _Servant, then_ , the little girl surmised.

The visitor knocked again. "Princess Azula, I am sorry to disturb you - "

"What is it?" she demanded, not bothering to leave her vanity.

"There's a delivery for you."

Azula blinked at her reflection, comb halfway through her hair. A delivery? What sort of delivery?

_Maybe Mom -_

She squashed the thought. The hope. Mother didn't _care_.

Not about her, at least.

"You may enter," she said, and the servant did so.

"I apologize for keeping you up, Princess," she said, hurrying forward. "But I thought you might want this." She presented a little box, sealed shut. "It was meant to be delivered with Prince Iroh's last letter and gifts."

Azula snorted at the thought of the stupid doll. The only thing she'd liked about the toy was how _nicely_ it'd burned. But still, horrible gifts or not, there was no excuse for this new package's less-than-prompt delivery. "Why wasn't it?"

"Ah, well... My apologies, Princess, but it got lost at the bottom of a crate. We only just found it."

Azula snorted again and took the little box, wondering if she should just burn it now and save herself the trouble of looking inside. If Uncle had sent her another doll -

Only it wasn't from Uncle, she realized, staring at the words painted on the box, detailing who it was for and who it was from. Azula went very still when she saw the names. It was for her, of course. But it was from Lu Ten.

_He sent me something. Lu sent me something._

"You're dismissed," she said, eyes fixed on the box. The woman bowed and walked out.

The moment the door closed behind the servant, Azula yanked the lid off the box. Inside lay a small slip of paper.

 _Zuli_ , it said in a dead man's handwriting. _This is a piece of the Outer Wall. We've had chunks of the stuff lying all over camp ever since we blasted through. With any luck, by the time you get this, we'll have taken Ba Sing Se's Agrarian Zone. It'll be an easy road to victory after that. Dad and I are hoping we'll be home by the New Year._

_I hope you like it - more so than some silly doll, at least._

_Love, Lu_

The only other thing in the box was a chunk of tan stone.

Azula stared at the note. Reread it a couple times. Then she carefully folded it up, and tucked it back into the box.

Next, she picked up the rock, and found it hefty and coarse to the touch. It was different from Fire Nation stone forged in volcanoes, which was dark in color and glassy in texture. The rock of Ba Sing Se was light-colored and rough, and seemed to be made up of innumerous little sand and silt particles, all packed together to form a solid chunk.

Azula turned it over in her hands, noting the thickness, the density.

_No wonder we couldn't get through._

Not for five hundred ninety-five days, at least. But then they had.

And then they'd _lost_.

_Uncle wouldn't even avenge his own son's death._

Azula stared at the stone in her hands, and imagined mile-high walls made of such stuff.

She imagined them falling to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No idea when the sequel will be up...but I'm working on it. ^_^

**Author's Note:**

> Next time: Lu Ten gets stuck six feet under.


End file.
